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PC & Mac Games • Multimedia • CD-ROM • Online
^^^TURINC
PUMPS 1 GALLON A MINUTE.
PUMPS 25 BALLONS A MINUTE.
Contents
What’s Up!
4 Editor’s Page
6 Letters
10 Sharp Edge
Multimedia News and Previews: Tour the
interactive Vatican, experience VR on TV, go
surfing in Manhattan's East Village, and butt
heads with Mike Ditka.
Features
18 Leader Board
The best-selling PC, Mac, and CD-ROM
entertainment software.
42 Is It a Movie, Or Is It a Game?
By Bill Meyer
22 Spotlight
Multimedia Reviews: Two crankin' multi-
media machines, 15 enhanced classical
music discs, dozens of high-tech gardening
tips, and more than 100 Marilyn pics.
32 Edutainment
An essential reading list for back-to-school
multimedia, plus a first gander at some
upcoming holiday titles for kids.
36 The Player
Developers hope full-motion video will make computer
games as popular as television. Dedicated gamers just
want good games, period. Can both sides find happi¬
ness together?
Cyberspace: 1995
By Donald St. John
It's been a wild year online, and all the services are
scrambling to add entertainment options just to keep up.
f 2 fills you in on where the good times roll on the Big
Three, Bill Gates' new Microsoft Network, and the other
top contenders.
Cheaters never prosper? Sure they do—in
computer games. Christopher Lindquist
cheerfully 'fesses up to digital corner-cutting.
38 The Multimaniac
The 'Maniac hits the road for fun in the sun.
Christine Grech uses a CD-ROM travel planner
to plot her path to the land of cactus and
Charles Barkley.
Guided Tour: Top Gun: Fire At Will
By Steve Klett fllP
There's always room for a hot pilot in Hondo's squadron,
le question is, can you cut it? Our Guided Tour gives
1 you the lowdown on how to fly high in Spectrum
1 HoloByte's fast-action flight sim based on the hit movie.
96 Finishing Moves
Classic novels the online way, the fall TV line¬
up gets into games, and what was really on
that chip in Johnny Mnemonic's head.
58 Game News
Dwango isn't a new dance; it's a
fresh way to find online opponents.
Plus News You Can Use.
Game of the Month
60 FX Fighter
Adventure Games
62 Fade To Black (Preview)
64 Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye
Fly & Drive
66 F/A-18 Hornet 2.0
67 A-10 Attack!
Strategy Games
68 First Encounters
Simulation Games
70 PowerHouse
71 SimTower
Sports Games
72 Virtual Pool
Game Shorts
74 Modus Operandi, Marco Polo
75 Zig Zag
76 Dark Forces and Doom II for the
Mac, Terminal Velocity
77 Onslaught
Tech Shop
80 Plain TV? Play TV!
Take that tiny game screen on your PC and blow it
up BIG on your TV. We check out the ins and outs
of four inexpensive PC-to-TV scan converters.
CD Console
Games
PlayStation, Satum. 3D0. Sega CD, and CD-i
82 Untangling the World Wide Web
Enjoying graphics on the Internet may seem like
magic, but the Web is really not that complicated.
Electronic Entertainment explains the concepts behind
the hottest part of the 'Net.
5
Fredric Paul
Editor’s Page
Total Control
^3^uick, you have to make a choice. Which do you really want: full-motion video,
or full control over everything that happens in your favorite computer games and
multimedia titles?
Tough choice? Maybe. Maybe not.
As assistant editor Bill Meyer makes clear in “Is It a Movie, Or Is It a Game? ” (page
42), all the processing power of modem PCs, the sophisticated video-acceleration hard¬
ware and software, and the fancy compression algorithms simply aren’t enough to
meld realistic video with the kind of complete interactivity available in animated games.
With current—or even currently foreseeable—video technology, the best we can hope
for is to switch among video clips at predefined points. And it’s prohibitively expen¬
sive and complicated to shoot, digitize, and array every possible action that could
result from a given situation.
Most of today’s audience for computer entertainment has made peace with this com¬
promise. But the general public—those not weaned on Nintendo and Sega, anyway—
has been led by the mass media to expea some slick interactive-television experience
that will let them make Jerry Seinfeld do whatever they dictate. When consumers see
the current state of the art, many of them feel cheated. They aren’t interested in tiny,
fuzzy video clips that basically play through by themselves. Who would be? And
they’re not willing to trade the spittin’ image of Harrison Ford for some pixelated
sprite or cartoonish animation, even if they can make Harry do their bidding.
So what’ll it be: Damned if you do or damned if you don’t? Well, maybe we’re go¬
ing about this all wrong. Most of the new crop of movie-style games concentrate on
integrating real video into the games. In the long run, though, it probably makes more
sense to improve computer-animation techniques to the point where they begin to
resemble reality. That way, committed gamers get the interaction they crave, while more
casual fans can enjoy the TV-like production values they’ve come to expea.
Some of this is already possible with relatively simple objects like airplanes and
spaceships (see associate editor Steve Klett’s Guided Tour of Spectrum HoloByte’s
new Top Gun: Fire at Will flight simulator on page 54). But the real test involves cre¬
ating realistic people, especially faces. Most of the attempts to make animated faces are
embarrassingly unconvincing. But higher-powered computers, new software tools,
and innovative techniques that texture-map bits of video faces onto 3-D heads are
getting better and better. New graphics-acceleration hardware may even allow game
developers to map real video of aaors’ faces onto fully interactive “puppets” that
users would be able to control far beyond the limits of conventional video.
Perfecting this process will finally solve the video/interactivity conundrum. Instead
of choosing one or the other, you’ll get something that passes for both—animated, ful¬
ly controllable action that looks like real video. It may take a while, but only that
accomplishment will mark the full maturity of computer entertainment.
Tell me what you think! Send e-mail to fpaul@iftw.com; fax me at 415-
349-7482; or send snail mail to Editor, Electronic Entertainment,
951 Mariner’s Island Blvd., Suite 700, San Mateo, CA 94404.
PUBLISHER
John F. Rousseau
TECHNICAL/GAMES EDITOR
Christopher Lindquist
ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR
Joy J. Ma
SENIOR COPY EDITOR
Donald St John
DESIGNER
Anthony Lukban
A BHIMeyer ,R
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Steve Klett
ASST. PRODUCTION MANAGER
Catherine D. Peddie
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Laura E Watt
EDITORIAL INTERNS PRODUCTION INTERNS
Joel Enos, Suzanne Frear Sue Kim, Adam Vanderhoof
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Paul Bonner, Barry Brenesal, James Daly, Keith Ferrell,
Jane Greenstein, Gregg Keizer, Peter Olafson,
Corey Sandler, Don Steinberg
MANUFACTURING
Kathy Sund
Randy Randolph
Christina Cheney
Amy Nibbi
MaryPurdie
(800)688-4575
Single-Copy Sales Kemco Services; (603) 924-0224
TO SUBSCRIBE (800)770-E24U
EXPOS/CONFERENCES/EVENTS
Trade Show/Events Manager Julie Marple
Sales & Marketing Manager
Assistant Content Editor
Efec&WK&fertahmentOSSN 1074-1356), The No, 1 1 nb
d at San Mateo, CA and at a
4 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
OUT OF YOUR MIND
Immerse yourself in a strange
culture full of mystery, magic
and deception. All is not what it
seems in this bizzare and alien
world. Who is friend... who is
foe? What has happened to the
missing Druid? Which path is safe to choose?
Find your answers by exploring this "feature
length" story in a three dimensional world.
• Action-based combat system • Intuitive
point-and-click interface • Over 100 fully
3D locations in SVGA
I 0,000 frames of animated
® Progressive nonlinear
story with multiple endings
• Seamless animations of charac¬
ters and creatures ® Rich musical
score, sound effects, and speech St Ready-made
male or female characters will start you off
instantly, or create your own • Isometric over¬
head view of a 3D world ® Featuring a single
character party Available October ’95
Look for the Interactive Demo with leading gaming magazines.
To order, visit your nearest retailer, or call: (800) 447-1230. Ask for operator 40.
SIRTECH
Clue Book
Available
PO Box 245, Ogdensburg, NY 13669 Tel: (315) 393-6633 Fax: (315) 393-1525 E-Mail: 76711.33@COMPUSERVE.COM
Letters
By Far the Best
I have been reading your magazine since its
early beginnings. You guys have really done
a great job of keeping readers aware of
changes, advancements, and new technology
within the computer industry. On top of
that, you have kept us well informed about
new software with your in-depth reviews. E^
has done a fine job of alerting consumers
about the numerous new products so they
can make an educated decision on what to
purchase.
E^ is by far the best and most informative
multimedia magazine in the industry. People
are starting to take notice. All I can say is
keep up the good work. Thanks again.
Timothy W. Puckett
DeKalb, IL
Nice Work
If You Can Get It
I have to say that I love your magazine and
that I’ve subscribed since its first issue. I
know that everyone who writes says that,
but I mean it.
I have one suggestion. I think you could use
a section devoted to game cheats and hints.
Also, I’d like to get some information
about becoming a game tester for some of
the larger game companies, such as id
Software and LucasArts. I know that some
testers don’t get paid, but I don’t really care. I
just want to be involved in game testing. I’d
really appreciate any help you can give me.
Dyami Kuehn
Mayville, Wl
Keep an eye out for cheats and/or hints in
just about every game review we publish. In
addition, we post some hot cheats each
month in our Game News section.
As for becoming a tester, you should direct¬
ly contact the companies you’re interested in
testing games for. Be warned that it’s not an
easy position to obtain. Paid testing jobs are
highly sought. Just getting on the testing list is
tough, as many companies tightly control the
early release of software to minimize piracy
and industrial espionage. — Ed.
bps B.S.
Why doesn’t id Software make multiplayer
versions of Doom or Doom II for 2,400-bps
modems? I really hate the fact that most net¬
work games require 9,600-bps modems. Is
there any way I can get around buying a
faster modem and still play multiplayer
Doom?
Eric Beeson
Bristol, TN
Afraid not. More complex games need to
send lots of data across the wire. Slower
modems simply can’t move this data fast
enough. 9,600 bps seems to be the minimum
anyone wants to work with these days, and
you can bet that 14.4- and 28.8-Kbps models
will become the standard soon. If you really
want to play games over a modem, you’d
better consider upgrading to a V.32bis or
V.34 modem. You can find such modems for
as little as $100 if you shop around. —Ed.
Earthsiege Expertise
I purchased MetalTech: Earthsiege by Sierra
On-Line in April. I am interested in becom¬
ing an Earthsiege expert. If there is informa¬
tion on hint books or strategies, please notify
me. I already wrote to Sierra, but they direct¬
ed me to you.
Ethan Gyles
New Ipswich, NH
Experts, eh? Well, practice makes perfect.
But if you want even more insider info, give
Infotainment World Books, a division ofEA’s
parent company, a call at 800-360-2228 and
ask them about their Official Players Guide
to Earthsiege ($18.95). If you have access to
an online service such as America Online,
check out the PC gaming forums for more
Earthsiege info. — Ed.
Size Matters
I recendy read the preview of Lost Eden in
your May issue. The first tip in your tip box
says, “If you have something in your inven¬
tory you don’t want, give it to Tug.” My
friend and I noticed that his name is not
Tug, it’s Thugg.
Also, in future reviews can you give the
average length of time it takes to complete
each game. We finished Lost Eden in a cou¬
ple of hours the first day we got it.
Ryan Stef
Ventura, CA
Sorry about the thypo, er, typo. We’ll try to
do better.
As for game length, our reviewers usually
note games that are particularly short and
easy—or long and difficult—in the text of
the story, as John Sauer did in his preview of
Lost Eden. Estimating hours of game play is
a bit tricky, though, because a less-experi¬
enced gamer may take far longer to finish a
game than an expert would. Besides, if you
play a game as a team, you can expect game
play to be shorter. — Ed.
100 Percent Accurate
I’d like to start by saying I love your maga¬
zine. Your software and hardware reviews
are always 100 percent accurate. Continue
the great work.
I would like to know if LucasArts is mak¬
ing a second expansion disk for TIE Fighter.
Second, are you going to print a review of
Sierra’s Space Quest 6 soon? I’ve played the
demo, and it looks interesting in a warped
sort of way. Still, I would like to read a
review before I buy it. Thanks!
Robert Winkeler
Bartelso, IL
Thanks for the support. Watch for
LucasArts’ TIE Fighter Collector’s CD-
ROM in the fall, featuring a new campaign
with 232 missions. Look for our review of
Space Quest 6 in the October issue. —Ed.
Got something you want to get off your chest?
Do it! Write, fax, or e-mail us at: Letters to
the Editor, do Electronic Entertainment,
951 Mariner’s Island Blvd., Suite 700, San
Mateo, CA 94404; fax: 415-349-7781; In¬
ternet address, e2Letters@iftw.com; and
CompuServe: 73361,265. \s.
6 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
r»o*M|
A Looking Glass
Technologies
Production
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VirVal ftoy" is a portable 32-bit 3-P game system, featuring phase linear array t<
digital stereo scu-nd, two high—resolution visu-al displays, and 3-P raph
immerse you- in the game. Coming soon—stereo headphones and Garnet
cable for head-to-head action.
Tu-rn it on and experience the
difference a dimension can make
Multimedia News
City of Pope
E ver wondered what the Pontiff sees
when he strolls around his neighbor¬
hood? Jasmine Multimedia will give
you a glimpse Inside the Vatican,
scheduled to coincide with Pope John
Paul IPs fall visit to the U.S. The two-disc
set is based on the six-hour TV series of
the same name and features rare footage
of hundreds of paintings in the Vatican’s
vast collection.
Hosted by Sir Peter
Ustinov, Inside the
Vatican lets you tour
the papal city and
uncover the roots of
the Roman Catholic
Church by journeying
back to Israel, Tur¬
key, and finally to
Italy. There are “inter¬
views” with historic
figures (played by actors) whose lives
helped shape the Church’s development,
along with re-enactments of key events
from the time of Peter the Apostle to the
present. Whether you’re pious or just
curious, Inside the Vatican offers a rare
look behind the scenes at St. Peter’s house
of worship. (Jasmine Multimedia; 800-
798-7535; $89.95) —Ann M. Marcus
Platform: Win CD
Available: Fall
theSistine Chapel’s
ties, inducting Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, and
Timothy Leary; and more than 45 minutes of video
renzi has pioneered
art of creating
music from the
> waves coming from distant galaxies. Invisible
erse indudes a full hour of Terenzi’s haunting
ic; poems by sdentists, astronauts, and celebri- Available: Fall
id even the origin of
the universe itself.
You can also look
at classical maps
of the night sky that
are linked to the lat¬
est photographs
and scientific data
from observatories
around the world.
If the notion of
radio waves from
outer space in¬
trigues you, tune in
to Invisible Universe.
(Voyager; 800-446-
2001; $39.95)
-Ann M. Marcus
CD
lO September 1995 - ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
PopVR
I t’s a lot easier to create virtual reality in a movie than in real life. But that doesn’t mean that
Hollywood always gets it right. Let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the many miscon¬
ceptions of virtual reality in popular culture over the years.
Movies
Television
Star Trek: The Next r—-- — _L
Natalie Wood, Christopher Walken
Generation, 1989 ffSHaHW
Natalie Wood’s last role, but virtual reality’s debut on the
Paramount
silver screen. A research scientist played by Christopher
Tired of hearing “Make it so” A A
Walken creates a headset-like “sensory experience device”
from that patronizing Picard?
that falls into the wrong hands.
Take a break in the Holodeck. |
The Lawnmower Man, 1992
Th^ fantasy’s for you.
Pierce Brosnan, John Fahey
Amazing (Aerosmith J Jafl
Happy village idiot Jobe Smith (Fahey) garners a bigger
Music Video), 1993 j
brain, develops a mean set of pectorals, and finally gets lucky.
MTV
thanks to Dr. Lawrence Angelo’s (Brosnan) prescription of
Just boot up the old computer
drugs and computer-generated virtual reality.
system, throw on your VR head-
Demolition Man, 1993
out every 16-year-old’s fantasy " ad About *oits Paul
Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock
of a big bike and the girl next „.' S ® r " ves out his Christie
In futuristic “San Angeles,” folks have simulated sex via
door. Just don’t spill your Coke ,a " ,aSy V '' a ’' irtua '
VR headsets—the real thing is too messy and taboo. Unfortu¬
on the keyboard.
nately, Stallone’s and Bullock’s characters are nostalgic for the
old ways.
Mad About You, 1994
NBC
Disclosure, 1994
In the wacky world of marriage ’90s style, virtual reality
Michael Douglas, Demi Moore
spices up the Buchmans’ love life. He (Paul Reiser) gets Christie
Sexual harassment and virtual reality go hand in hand as
Brinkley and she (Helen Hunt) goes a round with Andre Agassi.
seductress Meredith Johnson (Moore) turns Tom Sanders
Unfortunately, for the fans who called in to locate the device,
(Douglas) into her boy toy via VR.
this virtual reality happens only on prime time.
Johnny Mnemonic, 1995
VR.5, 1995
Keanu Reeves, Dina Meyer
Fox
Reeves, who has more presence then acting acumen,
Enjoy some cyber-voyeurism as hacker and VR aficionado
enters virtual reality to connect with the Internet of tomor¬
Lori Singer uses her headset and woefully outdated 1200-
row and download his head’s precious cargo. Oh, and to
baud acoustic-coupler modem to surf the ’Net and drop in on
save the world, too. (See Finishing Moves for a list of
other users’ minds. Sounds great: Too bad it got canceled.
cargo, page 100.)
—Bill Meyer
Kon-Tiki Sails Again
ember Thor Heyerdahl? The fascinating explorer’s
'I seafaring adventures will be available on CD-ROM
I this fall in Kon-Tiki Interactive from Gyldendal, a
Norwegian publishing company.
Heyerdahl spent a lifetime trying to prove his theories
on the population paths of the Pacific Ocean. He defied
both nature and science to sail from Peru to Polynesia on a
balsa raft, the Kon-Tiki.
Kon-Tiki Interactive’s video of Heyerdahl's voyages
to the high seas on a recreates the experience of sailing across the ocean on
balsa raft. wooden rafts and reed ships, traveling ancient trade
routes along the Tigris River, or taking part in excavations of rare Peruvian treasures
at the pyramids at Tucume. (Gyldendal; phone: 47 22 034100; email: svein.
therkelsen@gyldendal.no; $49) -Ann M. Marcus
Available: November
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 1 1
Multimedia News
(L
tt
X
0 )
news
FLASH
■ Major League Baseball
made its interactive TV debut
on the struggling Interactive
Network. Now the big leagues
are trying again: They’ve part¬
nered with NTN Communi¬
cations to develop Dia-
mondBall, which lets players
predict the outcome of an at-
bat, answer strategy questions,
and predict the success of a
particular batter. The system
was scheduled to go live at the
All-Star Game in July over
NTN’s ITV network, which
rants, and hotel lounges
throughout the United States.
NTN developed the service in
collaboration with Hall of Fame
pitcher Rollie Fingers; a new
chain TGI Fridays Inc. for inter¬
active gaming may give NTN
prominent magazines have joined
the online gold rush. Rolling
Stone inaugurated a forum on
CompuServe this summer, while
this month, Newsweek launch¬
es Virtual City, a cyberspace-
lifestyle newsstand magazine that
will include online areas on
Prodigy and the Internet.
■ Don’t quite know how to find
that popular Netscape Navigator
browser everyone's been talking
about? Don't fret. Netscape has
bundled it into the Netscape
Navigator Personal Edition,
the company's first foray into the
retail business. The package
includes pathways to Internet
accounts with four national
providers (Netcom, Portal, MCI
Internet, and UUNET). The com-
continued on page 14
Cyber MOVjB Mclfl CyberNOT
ith the summer's cinema sizzlers still commanding long lines at theaters and the new crop of fall
releases already on the playbill, check out this full house of World Wide Web pages devoted to the sil¬
ver screen. (For more ideas, see reviews of sites devoted to Batman Forever and The Net in Wirehead
on page 36.) Just like the movies themselves, some of these offerings are blockbusters and others are bombs.
The Basketball Diaries
The Basketball Diaries
http://underground.net/BDiaries/ Good
http://cybertimes.com/NewLine/baskeball/
info about the underrated movie, but the
basketball.html Everything a film com-
real treat here is the sound clips of
panv page shouldn't be. Offering up only
author/protagonist Jim Carroll reading
the movie poster isn’t enough, guys. This
from his work. The real thing.
site fouls out.
Apollo 13
Mortal Kombat
http://www.mca.com/universal_pictures/
http://www.directnet.com/kombatbegins/
apollol 3/index.html We don’t think Tom
shang/shang.html Let’s face it, interactive
Hanks will land a third Academy Award
is better than passive. Play the arcade
for this one, but the site is a winner.
game, forget the movie.
Blade Runner
Congo
http://kzsu.stanford.edu/uwi/br/offworld.
http://voyager.paramount.com/Congo.html
html One of the movies’ most enduring
Much ado about a thoroughly dull
sci-fi visions gets a fan-created Web page
movie. Kudos for coverage of endangered
that links to everything Blade Runner-
related.
mountain gorillas, though.
First Knight
Tales From the Crypt
http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/Sony
Presents Demon Knight
Movies/16knighthtml Is anybody else hav¬
http://www.mca.com/universal_pictures/
ing trouble buying Richard Gere as Sir
tales/crypt.html Cool creepy stuff in 3-D.
Lancelot of the Round Table?
Pocahontas
Johnny Mnemonic
http://www.disney.com/BVPM/PressRoom/
http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/Sony
Pocahontas/Pocahontas.html You might
Movies/07multi.html More hype about a
be sick of the Native American Princess
truly underwhelming movie. You’re bet¬
by now, but your kids aren’t.
ter off with the CD-ROM game.
_
—Compiled by Donald St. Jolm |
Slim Pickings
Take your VPick.
1 irtual music used to mean throw-
■ ing on your favorite album, danc-
V ing around the room, and doing
some screaming bends on your air
guitar. Last year, Ahead tried to
improve on the concept with its
Virtual Guitar, a $110 plastic axe that hooked up to your
computer. But the pricey instrument didn’t exactly leave
music fans dancing in the streets (see Sharp Edge,
September 1994, page 9).
This year, Ahead has simplified the concept VPick
is an oversized guitar pick that attaches to your serial or
parallel port Then, instead of risking an amputation on
the Virtual Guitar’s razor blade-like strings, you just
ib a tennis racket and strum the catgut to the
illman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post” (on
Ahead’s game Quest For Fame Starring
Aerosmith)
Seem silly? Well, sure, but at $14.95,
the VPick is inexpensive enough to hit
the right chord with consumers.
Ahead also has new games in the
works based on country, classical,
and folk music that will support
the VPick. In the meantime, look for the VPick to be
bundled with Quest For Fame. (Ahead; 800-872-7827;
$14.95, $59.95 with Quest For Fame)
Platform: Win CD/Mac CD
12 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Multimedia News
a
m
z
news
FLASH
from page 12
utes to sign on and get going
online. The Personal Edition is
bookstores, and other retail out¬
lets. (Netscape Communi¬
cations; 415-528-2619; Win¬
dows/Mac, $39)
■ Microsoft, Netscape Corn-
Networks are responding to the
growing conservative frenzy con¬
cerning the transmission of sex¬
ually explicit material over
has founded the Information
Highway Parental Em¬
powerment Group, which will
research and report by year’s end
on ways to prevent minors from
gaining access to “inappropriate"
material. Electronic filters would
allow users to block the receipt of
letin boards and discussion
groups. The group is also recom¬
mending the voluntary adoption
of a rating system for Internet
Similar anti-smut efforts are
Information Technology As¬
sociation of America (ITAA),
whose members include IBM,
AT&T, and Microsoft. Harris
Miller, rTAA's president, cites bet¬
ter training, a code of standards
for user groups and chat rooms,
and blocking technologies among
the techniques his organization
endorses for addressing the prob-
speech. Products such as Spry’s
Crossing Guard and Safe Surfs
already answering the call for
greater control over access to
inappropriate online material.
They’ll
really
what it’s like to be in the game
and be dealing with me as their
coach.
E 2 ' So if the player goes three
and out, they’re going to go to
the sidelines and catch hell
from you?
Ditka: Right. I might be a little
sarcastic and say, “Hey, rook,
it’s not like you thought it was
gonna be, eh?!”—something I’d
never do in real life. I don’t par¬
ticularly try to come across as a
nice guy in this game.
E^'So if your line breaks down,
you're going to see some 280 -
pound behemoth lying on top
Ditka: Exactly.
E 2 ' I understand you used real
players when you shot the
footage for the game.
Ditka: Yeah, we dkL.some were
high school athletes, some were
actors who looked like football
players, but I knew they weren’t
’cause they were too smart. A lot
of them had played football,
though. They simulated the
game and the sideline situations
extremely well.
E 2; Can someone who watches
football on Sunday, but doesn’t
Sons, still enjoy this game?
Ditka: Absolutely. We don’t get
into the technicalities at all.
£ 2: But then how do you
engage the heady fan?
Ditka: Because the player has the
option of doing different things.
You have to call the right plays
and then execute them flawlessly
to succeed. There is some strate¬
gy involved. But let’s be honest;
Football is not brain surgery.
E 2 -' So, do you have any predic¬
tions for the upcoming real
football season?
Ditka: Yeah, I do. The 49ers are
gonna beat the New England
Patriots in the Super Bowl.
F or years, Mike
Ditka has
been one of
the living legends
of football—first
as an All-Pro
a Super Bou
winning coach, and now as a
tough-talking NBC analyst.
Already a computer-game veter¬
an, Ditka has joined up with
Digital Pictures to produce
Quarterback Attack, a full-
motion-video-based computer
game due out this fall. Electronic
Entertainment’s Donald St. John
chatted with the coach about
electronic football.
from the video, how does
Quarterback Attack differ from
your first game (Accolade’s
Mike Ditka Ultimate Football)?
Mike Ditka: There’s more inter¬
activity in this one. The player
becomes the quarterback, the
person I’m interacting with
constantly during the game—
giving ’em hell at times, pat-
14 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Roger Zelazny and Jane Lindskold's
Time stands still! Thousands of liues are at stake!
Join Korda, the Chronomaster, in this epic quest For uengeance in a Future inhere magic & science co¬
exist. This ground-breaking Graphic Bduenture mill take you on a journey through man-made pocket
uniuerses Full oF cyborgs, pirates & mitches. Can you guide Korda & use his bottled time to solue the
mystery, re-stqrt the uniuerses and return justice to the stars?
Multimedia News
<
X
0 )
news
FLASH
ComputerMania, technology
rs for home-computer
i this fall with Softbank
Exposition and Conference Co.
Ziff-Davis Publishing’s
Consumer Media Group. The
shows will be held in Anaheim,
and in Dallas,
so for home-technology
is the Home & Family
Computing Supershow, to be
held this fall and winter in
Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco,
opportunity to play new comput-
james, send e-mail to celebri-
, explore interactive TV and
Internet, and test-drive new
computer systems.
1 the spring of 1 945, in
is now San Francisco’s
Opera House, government and
nations negotiated and drafted
the text of the United Nations
(UN) Charter. To celebrate the
UN’s 50th anniversary and
promote awareness of the
body's considerable achieve¬
ments, the UN50 Committee
of San Francisco has
launched a UN World Wide
page at http://www.lh.
com/un50sf. The site in¬
cludes a calendar of UN-relat-
d events; a special kids sec-
Dn; information on UN deci-
on-making, post-Cold War
N conferences; and contact
ifo for UN ambassadors,
ou'll also find a history of San
rancisco's role in the UN's
founding.
The lew Cafe Society
f you’re primed for your entree into Internet
cafe society, then check into two new hot spots
in New York City’s grungy but cool East
Village. Fast earning the moniker “Silicon
Village,” the neighborhood plays host to a pair
of hip new gathering places for the so-called
Downtown Digerati. Both establishments offer
e-mail addresses and _
can help you create
your own home page
on the Internet’s
World Wide Web.
These wired watering
holes also rent and
sell CD-ROM titles,
sponsor various art
and cultural events,
and (surprise!) serve
java and other chic
comestibles.
The 2,500 sq. ft. @cafe, which makes its
home in a former hippie haven on St. Mark’s
Place, boasts a full bar, an eclectic menu, and
more than 15 different computers linked to the
Internet with superfast T1 access. Peopled by
smart young Generation X types, the brick-
walled @cafe offers its own web site
(http://fly.net) and CU-SeeMe technology that
by New York’s Internet Cafe for a byte or
lets patrons use the computers for impromptu
videoconferencing. (@cafe; 12 St. Mark’s Place,
NYC; 212-979-5439; info@fly.net)
Down a few blocks on 3rd St., the smaller
and quieter Internet Cafe shares a block
with the New York chapter of the Hell’s
Angels. The Cafe’s edibles are limited to cof-
_ fee and desserts,
but the menu does
boast printing and
scanning services.
This more-intimate
establishment has
five terminals
hooked up to its
high-speed 56Kbps
line, plus plenty of
connections for
patrons who bring
their own laptops.
You can also buy paperback books and mag¬
azines. Visit the cafe’s web site at http;//
www.bigmagic.com. (Internet Cafe; 82 E. 3rd
St., NYC; 212-614-0747)
For more information on digital cafes
around the world, log onto http://www. easynet
co.uk/pages/cafe/ccafe.htm or the altcybercafes
newsgroup. —Fredric Paul
The Face of Fame
Great Entertainers. The Windows disc will indude the mas¬
ter’s hilarious and insightful renderings of Marilyn Monroe,
Charlie Chaplin, The Beatles, Madonna, and more than a
thousand others. And the title’s dever morphing feature
flows the drawings seamlessly from one to another.
Hirschfeld even helped design the produd’s interface.
There will also be in-depth interviews with Hirschfeld
and his daughter, Nina, whose name is hidden in every one
of her father’s drawings. See if you can find them all.
In addition to the standard release, Jasmine will also
create a numbered, limited-edition disc signed by the artist
(Jasmine Multimedia; 800-798-7535; standard edition
$45.95, limited edition $1,000) -Ann M. Marcus
Platform: Win CD Available: September
92-year-old Hirschfeld is thrilled with
the technology that brings more than a
thousand of his drawings to CD-ROM.
16 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rise of the Triad Official
Player’s Guide
By Bernie Vee
Don’t venture into
the heart of dark¬
ness without this
hot strategy
guide! This guide
takes apart every
level of this blast-
fest, and will give
you the hands-on
tips to succeed
where others
have failed!
$19.95
BK-339
Platform:
PC CD-ROM
Dark Forces Official
Player’s Guide
By Jeff Hoff
The Empire is up to
some new tricks in
Dark Forces, the
exciting Star Wars
game. Armed with
over 240 pages of Jedi
tips, strategies, tac¬
tics, maps and intelli¬
gence secrets, you’ll
be able to survive 14
grueling missions and
save the Rebel Alliance.
$18.95
BK-315
Platform:
PC CD-ROM
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1
Authorized Pilot’s Guide
By Shay Bddams
Improve your flying skills with this guide to the
hottest flight-simulation game of all time! This
exciting guide
gives you 240
pages of piloting
tips and flight
techniques,
landing and
takeoff strate¬
gies, and in-
depth profiles of
each airplane
$19.95
BK-319
Platform:
PC CD-ROM
Full Throttle Official
Player’s Guide
By Jo Bshburn
success.
$18.95
BK-335
Call 800-360-2228 to order NOW!
• Add $4.00 for shipping and handling ($6.50 to ship to Canada, $12.00 to ship outside U.S.) Add $2.00 extra for each additional
book ordered, $3.00 extra outside the U.S.
• Add sales tax, residents of CA, IL, and NJ only (CA = 8.25%, IL =
: 6.25%, NJ=6%)
9509EE
Myst Stunning visuals, haunting audio, and intriguing O
puzzles keep this unique adventure game perpetually 4
near the top of the Leader Board. (Broderbund; 800-
521-6263; Win CD, $55)
Doom II This hair-raising sequel has more than 30 7
levels, seven hellish new creatures, and a double-bar¬
reled shotgun for lots of unfriendly fire. (GT Interactive;
800-332-4300; DOS CD, street price $40-$50)
Descent Maneuver your ship in all directions as you R
fight off defense robots and search for hostages in a “
' series of off-world mines. (Interplay; 800-969-4263;
DOS/DOS CD, $39)
DIZone Collector’s Edition Play more than 900 Q
I new Doom levels, build your own episodes, and cus- u
1 tomize multiplayer Deathmatches. (WizardWorks;
612-559-5301; DOS CD, $39.99)
SimCity 2000 Build your city of the future with this ^
1 (Maxis; 800-336-2947; DOS/Windows, $54.95)
Rise of the Triad A slick variation of Doom that tips _
X-COM: Terror From the Deep Search the ocean
floor and destroy an army of sea monsters controlled
by evil aliens in this strategy adventure. (MicroProse;
800-879-7529; DOS CD, $47.95)
10
shelves. (Microsoft; 800-426-9400; DOS, $49.95)
Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack The 13
(Microsoft;
MONTH ON CHART RATING
Myst Stunning visuals, haunting audio, and intriguing
puzzles keep this unique adventure game perpetually
at the top of the charts. (Brederbund; 800-521-
6263; Mac CD, $55)
Marathon The first high-quality Doom-like game for
- the Mac places you on the Marathon, a spaceship
that has been invaded by murderous aliens; eliminate
them and save your comrades. (Bungie; 312-563-
6200; Mac/Mac CD, street price $39-$45)
(Mindscape; 800-234-3088; Mac CD, $51)
SimCity 2000 Build your own city of the future
this improved version of the classic urban-simul
' game. (Maxis; 800-336-2947; Mac, $49.95)
Leader Board is a compilation of the top-selling software in 1,300 retail stores for April 1995. Some titles may appear in more than one category. Source: PC Data.
18 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Celebrities
should be
stalked,
harassed and
shot.
You have to be persistent to be a photographer in
Tinseltown. Celebrity-hunting is hard work. Exposing
scandal on film is even harder. You take your best
shot, then still have to find a buyer. Competition is
fierce. You do a little detective work to get ahead
of the game...lose a little integrity to get further.
The paparazzi motto: one picture is worth a
thousand bucks.
Now, you star-hounders can step into a tabloid
photographer’s absurd interactive career.
Paparazzi! Tales of Tinseltown features 60 actors
in two hours of live video,
CD-quality audio and an
original live soundtrack. Plus,
plenty of star-studded locations to explore and juicy
gossip-laden celebrities to exploit. But don’t worry, in Paparazzi! the people
you shoot don’t die...they just wish they were dead.
Available Now on PC paparazzi (pap-9-rat-'sB) n, 1. freelance photographers who
and MAC CD-ROM pursue celebrities to take candid photos. 2. see sleazebags
papa r azzi!
Tales of TinSeltowi
AcWisioN
Get more gossip and win @ http://www.activision.com
/ision, Inc. Paparazzi! Tales of Tinseltown is a trademark of Museworthy, Inc. © 1995 Museworthy, Inc. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc.
KEEPS
EXPANDING
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger
blew away all of its competition on PC-CD, sweeping
awards from Computer Game Review, InterActive
Gaming, Login Magazine and Entertainment Weekly.
Now, the best-selling ORIGIN Interactive Movie is
available on the 3DO™ System, and is coming soon for
Sega™ Saturn™, Sony® Playstation™ and Macintosh®!
Match wits with an ensemble cast, including Mark
Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson, Jason
Bernard, and John Rhys-Davies.
Then match dogfighting skills with the Kilrathi race
from the cockpit of your Confederation starfighter.
DON'T WATCH THE GAME,
PLAY THE MOVIE!
^ _ MS-DOS
^ CD©?
M ‘
http://www.ea.com/origin. html
ORIGIN Systems is an Electronic Arts® Company *5918 West Courtyard Dr. • Austin, TX 78730
© 1995, ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Heart of the Tiger is a trademark of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Origin, Wing Commander and Origin
InteractiveMovie are ^registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts. Sony is
of SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD. All rights^eserved.^acintosh is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.
Multimedia Reviews
Spotlight
QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT—AT A PRICE
Compaq’s PC Toybox
F or a company that
used to consider com¬
puters solely a business tool, Compaq has
learned a lot about the entertainment mar¬
ket The Presario CDTV 978 has all the
features fun-loving consumers demand-
except for an affordable price.
At its core, the CDTV 978 sports an Intel
Pentium 75 processor, 8MB of RAM, and a
725MB hard drive. An integrated PCI local-
bus graphics adapter with 1 MB of video
DRAM puts the pictures on the screen with
ease. That's enough horsepower to run all
but the most computer-abusing games and
multimedia software.
Then there are the
extras. The CDTV 978's
hardware lineup in¬
cludes a quad-speed
CD-ROM drive, a 16-bit
Sound Blaster-compat¬
ible sound card, an inte¬
grated speakerphone, a
14.4Kbps fax modem,
and a cable-ready TV
tuner card.
The CDTV
978 provides
plenty of
software, too. The 25 prein¬
stalled titles include Media-
Riot for centralized control
of TV, CD audio, voice mail, and faxing under
Windows; Microsoft Encarta and Works for
Windows; and Sierra On-Line/Dynamix's Lode
Runner, The Even More Incredible Machine,
and King's Quest VI games.
The system even looks good when you
open the slick vertical case. Hand-remov¬
able metal screws hold up the sides. When
you slip off the access panels, you’re greet¬
ed by an unusual sight: neatly laid-out
cables, easily accessible slots, and plenty of
space to work, which proves to be a bless¬
ing if you need access to the available drive
or bus slots to add a bigger hard drive or a
sweeter-sounding wavetable sound card.
Unfortunately, upgradability is the one
place where the CDTV 978 slips The built-in
local-bus graphics cannot be disabled, so you
can't install any of the fancy 3-D or video¬
accelerator cards about to hit the market
Our review system also included Com¬
paq’s 15-inch Presario 140 Multimedia Mo¬
nitor ($150 to upgrade from the standard
14-inch model that comes with the system),
which includes built-in speakers and a micro¬
phone. What it lacks is a volume control, forc¬
ing you to rely on the software utilities sup¬
plied with the PC. While the Windows control
is fine, the memory-resident DOS utility
doesn't work with all software. Just be sure
to drop the volume before you start a new
program, or you may get an earful.
The CDTV 978’s features don’t come
cheap: At $2,449 with a 14-inch monitor
(nearly $2,600 if you go for the barely
acceptable 15-inch monitor), it’s pricey even
when you throw in Compaq's lifetime toll-free
tech support But if you can afford it and don't
mind some upgrade limitations, the Presario
CDTV 978 delivers top-quality fun. (Compaq
Computer; 800-888-5858; $2,449 with a
14-inch monitor) -Christopher Lindquist
Format: PC
Rating: * * * -t
|~ 1 ilitary avia-
Wings Over ton butts wm
|. . __ _ j soar w h en they see
J j t > Discovery Channel
£HSP>>
:
if -
Multimedia’s
jj f ~m yV Korea To Vietnam,
. a historical title that
covers aerial-warfare
' Jan rSS advancements in
. Asian conflicts from
" 1945 through 1975.
Desktop pilots can visit air bases set in each time period and
check out 15 different 3-D modeled aircraft, including the F4U-
4 Corsair, Sabre, and MiG-15. Manipulating each aircraft for a
complete 360-degree view is as easy as pointing and clicking.
You can also print out pictures of your favorite aircraft (espe¬
cially effective on a color printer) or watch a series of video clips
that depict actual warfare tactics used during each time period.
You can also browse through an extensive database con¬
taining technical and service information on more than 200
weapons systems and 500 aircraft, along with 1,000 wartime
photographs. Wings also includes articles detailing the role of
aircraft in modern warfare, plus an hour of live-action video.
As an added bonus, Discovery throws in three rudimentary
flight sims that let you take to the skies in aircraft from each era.
There’s even a classic Sabre vs. MiG showdown. These simula¬
tions help add a sense of participation and tangibility to this well-
executed historical title, (Discovery Channel Multimedia; 800-
762-2189; $49.95) -Steve Klett & Anthony Lukban
Format: Win/Mac/Power Mac CD
5
22 September
• ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
One-Piece Wonder
T he Macintosh Performs 5200CD
is the Power Mac for the rest of us.
While the first Macintoshes to use the fast
new PowerPC chips were relatively high-
priced models aimed at business users, the
one-piece 5200 is targeted directly at the
home and entertainment market
For about $2,000, the 5200CD comes
standard with an acceptable 8MB of RAM
(upgradable to 64MB) and an 800MB hard
drive, up from the 500-700MB options on
earlier Performas. (You can also opt for the
5215CD, which boasts a 1GB drive.) On
the multimedia side, the 5200CD ships
with a built-in 15-inch monitor, quad-speed
CD-ROM drive, 16-bit sound card, integrat¬
ed stereo speakers, and a microphone. You
also get a built-in 14.4Kbps internal fax
modem, with answering machine capabili¬
ties and a full-duplex speakerphone. For
about $250 more, you can turn the com¬
puter into a combination video-editing cen¬
ter and cable-ready TV set
Just as important, the system's 75MHz
RISC-based PowerPC 603 processor deliv-
s performance roughly comparable t
ran at warp speed on our test
system, and Mechadeus' The
Daedalus Encounter, a memory
glutton, was just as peppy.
Best of all, the hot performance
and slick features
with all the ergonomic
advantages of
a Macintosh.
Setting up the
system was
a breeze The 5200 series comes with a large
set-up poster, but you wont need it The one-
piece construction means no confusing cables
to untangle or hook up; just plug it in and go.
The 50-pound integrated system tilts from 5
to 15 degrees and swivels 360 degrees for
quick access to the back panel and hook-ups.
And unlike one-piece PCs, this Power Mac
can be easily expanded with SCSI peripherals.
Once you’re running, the volume con¬
trols and headphone jack are sensibly
placed on the front of the computer. An
infrared remote control sensor and screen
control buttons are also located on the
computer's face (a remote control cor
832-by-624 (81 dots per inch) on the fly.
Of course, you need software, and the
5200CD comes with a generous selection,
including kids' titles, reference works,
home finance applications, and productivi¬
ty tools. The bundle doesn't include top¬
flight games, however.
The 5200CD’s hot performance, robust
feature set, hefty software pack, and afford¬
able price certainly make it a legitimate alter¬
native to a Pentium if you're in the market for
a multimedia machine. With special software,
it will even run many DOS and Windows pro¬
grams. (Apple Computer; 800-776-2333;
$1,999-$2,299) -Joel Enos
75MPIz Pentium-at a comparable price. For with the TV tuner). You can even adjust
example, StarPress’s Material World multi- the ,28mm dot pitch screen resolution
media title, which is a bit pokey on a Quadra, from 640-by-480 (63 dots per inch) to
Platform: Mac
Rating: * + + * +
Swimming Imagery produce hilarious results; imagine a model’s arms and legs
disappearing in Cheshire Cat-like fashion against the backdrop
MAM elcome to the low-rent multimedia version of the Sports of the glistening shoreline.
VV Illustrated swimsuit issue. The Ujena Swimwear Fun and games are limited to The
seems aimed at seriously superficial
males poisoned by testosterone. '' r -\MfcT m f-
The 70-plus blue-screen photos of
swimsuit models superimposed
over picturesque beach scenes are T | ; A 3 j
only mildly interesting, a bland elec- _ f§
tronic version of the'50s pinups. : IfSDliflfl "M
The title is not exactly a techno- . pB/Jf-" .. . *( ■
logical marvel, either. For example,
you’re not supposed to notice that |- * ' ■ -/ f - <«^HL
the producers have adhered sand to - ' ‘M
except for one to four small circles
showing a fragment of the underlying
image-and Puzzle Solver, a take-off on
the Vid Grid games, in which you
assemble pieces of an image.
Eventually, boredom will replace
laughter, and you will wonder why you
felt your PC couldn’t survive without
this silly electronic trash. (Aztech
1 Software; 800-625-5455; $34.95)
J -Donald St. John
the models’ legs to bolster the illu- " , *-
sion that they're really on the beach. So (ftfs is the girl of your dreams?
Also, the cheesy “animations” often
Platform: Windows
Rating: M
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 23
Multimedia Reviews
Creative Modeming
T he long arm of Creative Labs just
keeps on growing. Now the company,
best known for its Sound Blastei
has entered the world of online
cations with the Modem Blaster 2&&
Rather than just a modem in a box with
some basic communications software, the
Modem Blaster comes complete
with a variety of games,
online-services soft¬
ware, and Internet utili¬
ties designed to jump-
start new modemaniacs.
If you’d rather not pop
the top on your PC, you
should find another mo¬
dem; Creative doesn’t
make an external version
of the Modem Blaster.
Fortunately, the product comes with
rudimentary but clear installation in¬
structions, including information on how
to change jumper settings should you
run into any conflicts with your system's
existing hardware.
Once you're up and running, take your
pick of software toys. Load up "special
Creative Labs’ Modem Blaster
28.8 has the speed you need f
today’s multiplayer games.
edition” (read: incomplete) versions of
Doom, Descent, Heretic, or Warcraft:
Ores and Humans. Then hook up with a
modem-owning friend for some two-
player action. If you'd rather cruise the
Web, install the Chameleon Internet
Tools from NetManage, quickly set up an
account with Perfor¬
mance Systems Inter¬
national (subscriptions
start at just $9 per
month for nine hours of
use), and you’ll be a
'Nethead in no time.
You get all of this for
a street price of around
$220. If you’ve got more
time than money, you
can pick up a slower
14.4Kbps model for just $110. Re¬
gardless, the Modem Blaster will give you
plenty to explore, all packaged in one
neat box. (Creative Labs; 800-998-5227;
street price $220) -Christopher Lindquist
The Native
American
Story
B efore Europeans arrived on this
continent, some 500 tribes of
native Americans lived here. Microsoft
Home’s 500 Nations CD-ROM brings
to life the history of these myriad peo¬
ple's religion, art, architecture, war, and
peace. Narrated by Kevin Costner and
corresponding with last spring's four-
part TV miniseries, this Windows disc
chronicles the Native American experi¬
ence from the rise and fall of the Mayan
society between 200 and 800 A.D. to
the massacre at Wounded Knee, South
Dakota in 1890.
Learn how the Aztec emperor Mote-
cuhzoma feared for the lives of his
people because of a prophecy, and see
paintings that depict the arrival of
Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes
on the Gulf of Mexico in 1519. You’ll
have an opportunity to grasp the indig¬
nities that Native Americans endured
as they were forced onto reservations.
There are more than a dozen story¬
tellers who bring the history to life.
Costner’s adoring approach can seem a
bit sanctimonious, but the title's 30 min¬
utes of video, four and a half hours of
audio, 2,000 photographs, and comput¬
er-generated graphics of ancient civi¬
lization make the disc truly engrossing
and important. (Microsoft; 800-426-
9400; $39.95) -Suzanne Frear
Format: Win CD, Mac CD
Rating: * + + *
24 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE THAT IS NOT POWER
Multimedia Reviews
Spotlight
ULTIMATE P
Remembering
Marilyn
T his year's been a good one for Marilyn
mania. On top of a commemorative
postage stamp, a total of four new CD-ROM titles will recap
Marilyn Monroe’s life and times. Corel CD Home's Bernard of
Hollywood’s Marilyn is the first of these digital tributes to
make it to the store shelves.
But first doesn't necessarily mean best Unfortunately, this disc,
based on the book by Susan Bernard—daughter of the famous
photographer known as “Bernard of Hollywood”-is a clunky, dis¬
jointed collection of hit-or-miss text a hundred intriguing photos,
narrative audio clips, and some interesting video.
Using a journal metaphor to chronicle Marilyn's career, it pushes
purple prose to the limit, even describing what Marilyn was suppos¬
edly feeling and thinking. The point of view shifts from Bernard to
Marilyn, occasionally making the narrative hard to follow—especially
since the entries often come without benefit of dates or context
Factual contradictions-such as which studio had just dumped
Marilyn when she was discov¬
ered by the William Morris agent,
Johnny Hyde-dont help either.
Things don't get better on the
multimedia side. Pages with
Bernard's audio narration start
playing automatically, even though
you're usually still reading text from the previous entry. The screen
doesn't advance to keep up with the narration. And you can barely hear
the narration over the soundtrack; you must turn off the music if you
want to listen to Bernard. Navigation is also frustrating: the arrow
icons that advance you to the next page don’t appear consistently,
and there's no search function, either.
Even with the title's interesting photos, if you really love Marilyn,
you may want to delay your purchase decision until you see the rest
of the soon-to-appear Norma Jean interactive brigade: Gazelle
Technologies’ Marilyn & Andre, Fox Interactive's Marilyn Monroe
Interactive Biography, and Hard Evidence: The Marilyn Monroe
Files from Novell's PerfectHome division. (Corel CD Home; 613-
728-8200; $69.95) -Christine Grech
Platform: Win/Mac CD Rating: ■¥ -i
■43P new multimedia games? A quad-speed upgrade i
anyone who can turn a screwdriver add sound and CD
almost any PC. We took two top-end kits out for a test i
to test Reveal's 24-hour c
service. We got through
1 a.m. on the company’s c
rstomer
Multimedia
Made Easy
ROM drive; The Turtle Beach Entertainer sports a Mitsumi drive.
Both kits include 16-bit wavetable sound cards, speakers, an
- installation video, and software.
The real difference was in the titles
bundled in each kit Reveal packs 47
popular titles, including such hits as
Interplay’s Cyberia, Origin's Wing
Commander Privateer, Mindscape’s
Dragon Lore, and Maxis’ SimCity
2000. You also get a rapid-fire joy¬
stick, a microphone, and a set of
High-powered speakers, headphones. By contrast, the most
47 titles, and hardware interesting of the Entertainer’s 12
extras make the Quad titles are p apyrus ' | ndy C ar Racing
Elite a strong performer. gnd LucasArts , Rebe) Assau|t Speda|
Edition, and there are no extra hardware goodies. Both kits come
with a variety of WAV audio files and software to manipulate them.
Installation of both kits was fairly simple: Reveal’s kit took less
than an hour to install, the Turtle Beach kit about twice that We
plugged in the sound cards, hooked up the CD-ROM drives, and
loaded the required software. But neither kit worked right away.
awake and helpful.
Once properly installed, both kits
delivered immediate speed and
acoustic boosts over older double- Smallspeakers and a
limited selection of titles
speed drives and FM synthesis make the Entertainer a
sound cards. Surprisingly, given weak act.
Turtle Beach’s reputation for audio
excellence, Reveal won the sound derby with a pair of 80-watt
powered speakers featuring separate bass, treble, and volume
controls. The Entertainer makes do with small, software-controlled
speakers that sounded tinny and bassless.
If you’ve got about $500 to spend upgrading your PC, the Reveal
Quad Elite XL is a better all-around package for the money. (Reveal;
800-738-3251; $549. Turtle Beach; 800-645-5640; $449)
-John Sauer and Steve Klett
Reveal Quad Elite XL
Platform: PC Rating:
Turtle Beach Entertainer
Platform: PC Rating:
26 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
WC Pi^Pep
T flC
TOURNAMENT EDITION
It’s the greatest NBA® JAM TE'“ yet! This Jam takes it to a higher court
with stunning graphics, player scaling, full motion video and the actual
big heads and baby mode arcade feature! Plus, you get updated player
rosters, all-new secret characters, and mind-blowing stereo music and
sound F/X! NBA Jam TjL.Get Pumped!
PRODUCT®
SEGA
SATURN
<4
PlayStation
>1«laim
MIDWAY
Multimedia Reviews
Spotlight
REPLACE YOUR PIVOTS
Meet the
Masters
T he Masters tournament may happen
only once a year, but with The Masters
CD from Creative Multimedia, dedicated duf¬
fers can visit the world-famous Augusta
National course as often as they like.
This disc allows you to explore the rich
60-year history of the Masters at your own
pace. Take a leisurely stroll down memo¬
ry lane, starting with anecdotes from the
first tournament in 1934, or jump right to
the 1994 Masters for a rundown of the
most recent highlights.
Either way, this disc has all the stuff golf
buffs could want You get in-depth descrip¬
tions of each of Augusta’s 18 holes, includ¬
ing contour maps of all the greens and video
fly-bys. Relive great Masters moments and
get detailed information about each tourna-
ment-from the weather to the winner.
You’re also sure to improve your golf-
trivia handicap by picking up a few choice
factoids, like the name of the golfer who
sank the longest putt in Masters’ history i
(Nick Faldo in 1989) or the one who missed ;
the shortest putt (Tommy Armour in 1937). :
The disc also follows the Masters’ tradi- j
tion for quality, with its excellent graphics,
video, and sound. While The Masters CD may
not be everyone’s hole-in-one, it’s a gimme
putt for golf purists. (Creative Multimedia;
503-241 -4351; $39.95) -Sfeve Klett
Platform: Win CD, Mac CD
Rating: * * * *
T wo new CD-ROM screen savers from
Wild World Software make seeing
exotic places as easy as turning on your
computer. Australia Wild features 280
breathtaking photographs of kangaroos,
koalas, and sea turtles snapped by Aus¬
tralian photographer Darren Jew.
From frozen fjords to sizzling veldts,
Alaska Wild/Africa Wild dresses up your
snatching trout from an Alaskan stream or a
young lion lolling on the African savannah.
Unfortunately, both titles lack animation,
but the still photos are captivating. Floppy
disk versions of both titles that contain only
50 photographs each are also available.
(Wild World Software; 206-402-6399;
$39.95 each) -Suzanne Frear
Platform: Win CD, Win
Rating: * * *
screen with 310 full-screen photos ot two
wildly different landscapes. See a brown bear
M ost computers today support
CD-quality, 16-bit stereo sound.
Unfortunately, you may not realize it
unless you have the proper speakers.
sound is three-piece speaker systems
that include a subwoofer to provide Make multimedia shake, rattle and roll
. ... _ _ with Bose’s MediaMate speakers,
booming bass (see Make Doom Go
Boom!”, August 1995, page 78), Bose’s computer speakers provide
comparable performance without the cumbersome subwoofer.
With close-up listening in mind, Bose uses proprietary circuitry to produce rich,
deep bass even at low volume. The MediaMates may not shake the building, but they
will rattle your desktop. On the high end, the MediaMates do an above-average job
of treble reproduction.
The MediaMates are even stylish. The trim, grey texture rectangular enclosures are
about the size of a tilted brick, so they won’t take up a lot of desktop real estate. If
you’re really crammed for space, you can mount them on the sides of your monitor.
Two sound-source inputs accommodate both computer sound cards and an extra
sound source such as a portable CD player. Source mixing and volume controls, as
well as a headphone jack, are located where they should be-in front, for easy access.
At $339, the MediaMate speakers are expensive, costing more than many sub-
woofer-equipped speaker systems. But they let you attach Bose quality to your com¬
puter for a lot less than the $699 you’ll pay for Bose’s own Acoustimass three-piece
system. (Bose; 800-444-2673; $339) -Sfeve Klett
Platform: PC/Mac Rating:
28 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
8:62 fti-WQK UP IN luuma
m m-iid TEQUIlft with mm rues.
5:31 Hi - PUNCHED OUT THE SHITENIEI.
12:02 MW—CALLED MOM.
1:31 Ml — KICKED THE CRftP OUT «F 11OIKIS.
MIDNIGHT - TOOK ft RIDE ftND
NEVER LOOKED BACK.
Multimedia Reviews
m
f Monks Had Macs... is a long¬
standing, eclectic archive of fasci-
ting stuff originally released in Hyper-
to Voyager, on CD-ROM for the Mac.
This fascinating hodgepodge of
ideas from Brian Thomas and friends
interface. Read Thoreau’s evocative
Walden or Thomas a Kempis’ medieval
tome Imitation of Christ; check out
actual Warren Commission testimony
on the assassination of President
Kennedy; or peruse a critique of 16th-
century Flemish painter Pieter Brue¬
gel’s “Tower of Babel.”
There are plenty of places for you to
make your own mark, including the Get
An Inner Life! section, where you learn
creative journal-keeping, or the Monks’
Memory Challenge, an interactive fact
game. If Monks Had Macs... is a rich
compendium of thought-provoking
material that would make any Gre¬
gorian chant. (Voyager; 800-446-2001;
$34.95) -Donald St. John
W hile Microsoft, Apple, Sony, and others scramble to create enhanced CDs of
pop music releases, a couple of small companies are quietly making the con¬
cept a reality with classical music.
Multimedia developer Music Pen and budget-classical producer Delta Music have
teamed up to create a line of LaserLight Digital CD+ROM discs that add multimedia
liner notes to classical music CDs. Pop the discs into your CD player to hear the music
(just be sure to skip Track 1), or stick them into your Windows PC to see the musical
score, read liner notes, or watch five to ten minutes of video that shows the composers’
native countryside.
Although the performances are public-domain and the CD-ROM portion relatively
limited, the discs cost less than $10-compared to about $5 for audio-only LaserLight
discs. The companies have already released 15 different works, including all nine
Beethoven symphonies, Mozart’s sym¬
phonies No. 40 and 41, Bach’s
Brandenburg Concertos #1-3 and #4-6,
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and Dvorak’s
New World Symphony. They plan to offer
35 titles by the end of the year and 80 by the
end of 1996. And because all the discs
share the same icon and interface, you have
to install them only once. (Delta Music; 310-
453-9504; $9.95 each) -Fredric Paul
Library
Of Ideas
Spotlight
Digital Dirt
I s an unruly spread of impertinent
weeds about to take over your lawn?
You could rent a goat to clear the scrub,
but you’d be better off consulting the
Garden Encyclopedia for tips on turning
your wasteland into a floral graceland. The
CD-ROM reference title features detailed
information on preparing soil, selecting
plants, performing successful transplants,
and caring for your new garden. The com¬
prehensive database covers more than
1,000 flowers and plants.
The Garden Encyclopedia's artful inter¬
face offers multiple ways to get your hands
dirty. The helpful gardening tutorial covers
all the basics, from choosing a nursery to
using natural pesticides. The disc adeptly
combines text, photos, and videos to illus¬
trate important concepts and techniques.
Critical definitions and diagrams appear
unobtrusively over the text to help you bet¬
ter understand the material.
Encyclopedia entries feature essential informa¬
tion about each flower or plant.
Don't know exactly what you want to
plant? Search the encyclopedia by attribut¬
es such as sunlight requirements, color,
and blooming season. The title even pro¬
nounces the plants' botanical names for
you. Collect images of plants you like in a
virtual floral photo album, and print out a
shopping list to take to the nursery.
Even if you don’t have a green thumb,
the Gardening Encyclopedia's detailed
information and beautiful images will make
you feel like a backyard botanist And the
goat will like the box. (Books That Work;
800-242-4546; street price $30)
-Bill Meyer
Platform: Win CD, Mac CD
Rating:
Platform: Win/Audio CD
Rating: * + + +
LaserLight Digital CD-ROM’s virtual concert
hall enhances classical music with text and
the musical score.
30 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Platform: Mac CD
Rating:
mllflbAN
LASER GAMES,
shotgun. Careful-
one of the gunfighters
that protects the four
outlaws is a world record
holder in fast
draw competition.
The pursuit of each outlaw
will take you through different shootout scenarios and challenges. Plus,
the order in which you stalk each outlaw will change the play action
responses and difficulty level making for a different game each time
you play!
INFORMATION 505-880-1718 • FAX 505-837-5450
American Laser Games, Inc. • 4801 Lincoln Road NE • Albuquerque,NM 87109
Bounty
Hunter,
you will be
equipped with
a six-shooter
and sometimes a
Play The Last Bounty Hunter with the GAMEGUN™on your 486 IBM
compatible computer or on the 3D0™ game system.
Receive free Crime Patrol™ CD-ROM with purchase of PC GAMEGUN™.
For Parents Only
Multimedia
Back to School
The end of summer means only one thing to
kids: the start of another school year. It’s a time
of anxiety and anticipation—and maybe just a lit¬
tle bit of longing for a few more sun-filled, home-
work-free days. If your kids need a little encour¬
agement to motivate them for the first day of
school, any of a host of new educational titles
should do the trick.
While big brother and sister scamper off to school, preschoolers can
What makes using Homework Helper different from dialing into
a library to do research is that you can ask it regular questions, such
as “Where's the oldest gold mine?”, not just search on specific top¬
ics. You can search any word in any article with a single mouse
click; your search results are prioritized to give you the best possi¬
ble matches to your question. (For more on Homework Helper, see
“Cyberspace Just for Kids," May 1995, page 36.) (Infonautics; 610-
971-8840; not yet priced for the Internet)
High school term papers can quickly turn students’ thoughts to
college. Good scores on the SAT (Standardized Academic Test)
and ACT (American College Test) will help them get into their
choice of schools, so a little preparation is wise. Zeleos's Team
SAT takes the personal approach by letting kids choose from eight
video guides who lead them through the program and provide test¬
taking techniques and strategies. (Zeleos; 800-345-6777;
Win/Mac CD, $29.95)
For a more customized approach, try Davidson's Your Personal
Trainer for the SAT and Your Personal Trainer for the ACT.
Each sets up a study course for your high schooler, based on how
well he or she does on a practice test (Davidson & Associates;
800-545-7677; Win/Mac CD, $40) Finally, Swfte’s upcoming
Make the Grade
School-age kids can brush up on the basics with
Sanctuary Woods' Math Ace Grand Prix and
Word City Grand Prix. These updated versions
of the company’s popular titles blend learning
with an arcade-style driving game. Players solve
math and language problems to earn sections of
a racetrack; when the track's complete, they
enter the Grand Prix. In Math Ace, kids ages 8 to
14 choose the topics they'd like to practice-
from addition and subtraction up to prealgebra
and geometry. Likewise, Word City lets kids
ages 7 to 14 choose to work on reading com¬
prehension, spelling, and vocabulary. Reading
Ace will also help kids with those dreaded weekly spelling tests by
letting them enter their own words, then drilling them on the cus¬
tomized list CD-ROM versions of the programs will be available in
August. (Sanctuary Woods; 415-286-6000; Windows/Mac,
Win/Mac CD; $39.95 each)
For a little break from all that reading and math, kids can try
MECC’s TesselMania! The creativity program introduces kids age
8 and older to the geometric world of tessellation patterns—inter¬
locking images like those created by artist M.C. Escher. Young
artists design and decorate their own patterns, then show them off
on posters, calendars, and even T-shirts. The kids will think it's all
fun and games, but they'll also be learning about transformational
geometry. Look for TesselMania in October. (MECC; 800-685-
6322; Win/Mac CD, $40)
High Marks
For high school students, back to school means back to term
papers. Older children may have already gotten a taste of the
Internet's vast resources, but now they can put this resource to
work with a subscription to Infonautics' Homework Helper.
Previously available only through Prodigy, the huge collection of
databases-from encyclopedias and reference works to transcripts
and photo libraries—debuts on the Internet this fall.
32 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Underground SAT CD-ROM Handbook takes a more
radical approach. Based upon the Workman Publishing
book Up Your Score, which was written by high school stu¬
dents with perfect and near-perfect scores, this title provides
a no-nonsense guide to outsmarting the test-makers of the
SAT. Look for it in August. (Swfte; 302-234-1740; Win/Mac
CD, $49.95)
Preparing for a grueling test is no fun, but going to college
certainly can be. And a pair of discs can help students choose
the right school. Kaplan—the test-prep company-offers the low-
down on some 1,700 schools in On Campus 96. (Kaplan
Interactive; 212-752-1840; Win CD/Mac CD, $49.95) Alternately,
consult Lovejoy's College Counselor, which profiles some 1,600
four-year colleges across the country. (Intermedia Interactive
Software; 800-545-7677; Win CD, $39.95)
Early Achievers
Even if your kids aren't ready for school, they don't have to miss out
on computer learning. You can help little ones get ready
with Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart Kindergarten
for ages 4 to 6. The mix of activities teaches basic pre-
reading, vocabulary, and math, and the title’s five fun
songs are sure to get and keep the tykes' attention.
(Knowledge Adventure; 818-542-4200; Win CD, $35)
To introduce younger kids to reading on the computer,
check out Apple Home Learning’s school-tested
WiggleWorks system. The newest offering for the home is
WiggleWorks Story Pack 2 for ages 3 to 8. The disc con¬
tains three stories that children can listen to and read-kids
can even record their voices if the computer has a micro¬
phone. WiggleWorks also suggests activities for kids and
parents based on the disc's stories. (Apple Home Learning;
800-542-4240; Win CD/Mac CD, $51.60)
For more reading fun, turn to Muppets Reading and Phonics
II. Jim Henson’s lovable critters—including Kermit, Miss Piggy,
and Fozzie Bear—help kids learn reading skills in the title’s three
sections: Sorting and Ordering, Thinking Skills, and Sound
Patterns. (American Education Publishing; 800-542-7833;
Win/Mac CD, $49.99)
All in the Family
Finally, some titles are perfect for the whole family. Microsoft
Bookshelf '95 includes a dictionary, almanac, thesaurus, en¬
cyclopedia, quotation dictionary, zip code/
post office directory, and history book-all on
a single CD-ROM. (Microsoft; 800-426-
9400; Win CD, $69.95)
And because the new school year brings
new activities, dates, and events to schedule,
Individual Software's Peanuts Family Or¬
ganizer uses appearances by Charlie Brown
and the rest of the Peanuts gang to spice up
its calendar, to-do list, address book, and mes¬
sage center. (Individual Software; 510-734-
6767; Windows/Mac, $19.95)
-Christine Grech
High schoolers
an Prepare for
ream SAT
SAT is the guerrilla
miide to the big test.
Keep track of new
schedules with the
Peanuts Family
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 33
For Parents Only
HOT NEW KIDS' TITLES
gearing up
busload
Wanderli
upcoming In¬
telligent Fun &
Games series,
an 18th-century Iroquois Indian
-- -- . named Little Bear. (Viacom New
toms and cultures of various peoples. Look for this p^ ack ’ and this time players h Media; 800-469-2539; Win/Mac
Windows and Mac CD-ROM next spring. (Wander- ’ utt save •he 200. 6 P CD, $49.95)
lust Interactive; 212-966-8887; Win/Mac CD, not yet priced)
Peter Rabbit is another familiar critter making his way onto Updated Classics
CD-ROM in Mindscape’s upcoming The Adventures of Peter The same fairy tales that you loved as a kid are sure to enchant
Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny, due out in time for the holidays, your little ones. TerraGlyph’s upcoming Hansel & Gretel and
The interactive storybook includes the text of two Original Peter the Enchanted Castle and Rumpelstiltskin’s Labyrinth of
Rabbit books, along with beautiful animated drawings in the the Lost are updated versions of classic tales featuring cartoon-
style of the original works. Kids can follow along with the tale or quality animation and lots of original music. Look for both titles
enter Explore mode and wander through Mr. McGregor’s garden this fall. (TerraGlyph Interactive Studios; 708-781 -4100; Win CD,
or anywhere else in Peter’s world. (Mindscape; 415-883-3000; $49.95 each)
Win CD/ Mac CD, not yet priced) Not quite as old but fast becoming a classic, lovable car char¬
acter Putt-Putt merges into his third computer adventure, Putt
Putt Saves the Zoo. This time around, Putt Putt must round up
Disney made a splash with its Lion King storybook. The company the missing baby animals so that the zoo can open on time. Look
is again applying its magic in Disney’s Animated StoryBook: for it in August. (Humongous Entertainment; 206-486-9258; Win
Pocahontas. The movie debuted in Central Park last spring, but CD/Mac CD, $39.95)
the interactive storybook for ages 3 to 9 won’t be available until Saving the virtual animals is also the name of the game in
November. Kids will experience the famous love story of the LucasArts Entertainment’s first children’s title, Mortimer and the
Native American woman and British soldier Captain John Smith, Riddles of the Medallion. This 3-D adventure game for ages 4 to
as well as play games and learn songs. (Disney Interactive; 800- 9 stars a giant flying snail named Mortimer who takes kids on a
688-1520; Win CD/Mac CD, street price $40) global adventure in which they must save the world’s animals from
Another movie-inspired CD-ROM that will acquaint kids with turning into statues. Along the way, kids get to guide Mortimer and
Native American culture is Viacom New Media’s The Indian in learn all sorts of fun animal facts. Mortimer will land on store
the Cupboard, scheduled to arrive in October. Like the film and shelves early next year. (LucasArts Entertainment; 800-782-7927;
the book on which it is based, children ages 6 and up can bring Win CD/Mac CD, not yet priced) -Christine Grech
edutoiNMeNt
Sneak Preview
34 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Sofia Says spend your money
Sofia Says get'oh your
knees and bark like a dog
Now gi
Sofia a kiss.
Sofia Says give the money to your
local video game store and do it now.
She didn't say Sofia Say.. Now she has to hurt you.
a Sony®Play Station™
The Player
Christopher Lindquist
H
My name is Chris Lindquist, and I cheat a
computer games.
I admit it: I’ve never liked the endless frustration that some
games dish out. Besides, more than a few games are so lame that
it’s more fun to muck around in their innards with the Norton
Utilities sector editor than it is to play them.
[Warning: Electronic Entertainment has determined that muck¬
ing around with sector editors can be hazardous to your comput¬
er. We do not advocate such techniques for enhancing your gam-
Gheating at computer Jeez, the lawyers
are everywhere these
days, aren’t they?
Where was I.. .ah, yes.
In college, my
friends and I would
spend countless hours
finding new ways to
whatever else 1
games is about as close
to playing God as any of
us is likely to get.
add lives, money, hit points,
figured would allow us to dominatf
game. This tinkering was a form of
recreation in itself. Does that
mean we were bad peopk
I think not.
thing like this:
1. People play games to have
2. Being repeatedly humiliated by
a game because your reflexes ;
those of a fit 18-year-old or because
you’re tired of playing “guess what the
programmer was smoking when he c
up with this puzzle” is not fun.
3. Playing God is fun.
4. Cheating at games is about as close I
playing God as any of us is likely to get.
I know, I know. The anticheaters have all i
of arguments of their own.
“Playing all the way through a game gives you t
of accomplishment.” Thank you, but I get my feelings of
accomplishment from challenges a bit more serious
puter games.
“Cheating just shows that you don’t have the
smarts/guts/reflexes to win legitimately.” Or perhaps it just
demonstrates that the game is simply too difficult/boring/confusing
for me to bother with. Or maybe I just don’t have the time.
“Cheating takes all the fun out of a game.” Yeah, right. Tell
that to anyone who’s had the thrill of watching a spider demon
explode two feet in front of him while he laughed with maniacal
glee. Besides, if some schmucks want to spend $50 on a game only
to jump straight to the end without playing through, let ’em. It’s
their money.
“Cheating at anything is simply wrong.” Give me a break.
We’re not talking about plagiarizing a Stanford master’s thesis
here. We’re talking about a computer game.
Now, I don’t cheat all the time. Heck, I actually cheat very little
considering how much time I spend playing games. I finished
Doom and Dark Forces without resorting to the passcodes.
However, both those games are perfect examples of where cheats
can be loads of fun: Sometimes, after a long day at the office, you
just want to kill things.
Until recently, game cheating was mostly the realm of hackers
who could read hexadecimal notation, or those of us so serious
about it that we indulged in shareware and small-company
commercial game-cheater programs. And there have
always been a few computer game makers, such
as id Software, that were inclined to build
in—and eventually release to the public—a
variety of cool cheats.
Now memory maven Quarterdeck has
entered the fray with its GameRunner
utilities, which include AXIS-The Game-
cheater (call Quarterdeck at 800-354-2834
for more information). The difference is
that Quarterdeck—which made its rep
with memory management programs
like QEMM—may just have the clout
to get some of the “we don’t condone
cheating” game companies to lighten
up a bit.
Many of them probably will, too.
The almighty dollar will dictate it.
Cheats and passcodes have long
increased the shelf life and cool fac-
:or of console and arcade games.
The same thing will happen with
computer titles. Cheats will no
longer be toys just for the in-crowd.
They’ll be built-in and advertised—
a selling feature. ^
FLY IN THE
It’s the later part of the 1930’s and the small European monarch of
Karanthia stands on the brink of civil war. Gigantic airships, launching and re¬
covering their own warplanes, dominate the skies. There is no safe haven from their
assault on your weakened and ravaged homeland. In the midst of this anarchy, you
attempt to claim the throne by extracting a pledge of alliance from the uncooperative
leaders of each community in Karanthia. Negotiation or annihilation is your battle cry.
HlfU IN IKE SKIES
Air Power: Battle in the Skies incorporates the best
elements of flight sims, air combat, military strategy
and role-playing in this violent fictional world. And, you’ll
find stunning 3D graphics and digitized sound effects
enhance the high-resolution, fast-frame gameplay. So load
up your airborne armada and set your sights on claiming
the throne.
Multimaniac
Christine Grech
igital Road Trip
B y the time I get to Phoenix...I’ll have driven
1,046 miles, spent 17 hours and 17 minutes in
the car, and plunked down $40.50 for gasoline.
That may not have been what country crooner Glen Campbell
had in mind when he sang the original tune, but that’s what my
computer travel planner tells me.
You see, the Multimaniac has been feeling a little antsy lately.
Could be a case of too much time spent at the keyboard. So, with
fall looming on the horizon, I’ve decided to give the
don thing a try. Think 1
go for a nice, long drive
courtesy of my PC.
an essential part of any
modern multimedia li¬
brary. Digital travelers can
choose from such products
as AAA Trip Planner from
Compton’s NewMedia,
Rand McNally’s TripMak-
er, and DeLorme’s Map ’n’
Go, which serve as com¬
panions to their compa¬
nies’ road adases. They cal¬
culate routes, provide directions, and suggest attractions along the
way. There’s also the budget-priced Expert Travel Planner Win CD,
which does essentially the same thing, but the route planning and
attraction portions
Voila! Detailed directions <“ ** as r u r
taking me from the
City by the Bay to the
Valley of the Sun.
Each of these
programs can help
you get where
you’re going, but
the Multimaniac
st offering:
always rides the cutting edge, so I turned I
Microsoft Automap Road Atlas 4.0.
I decided to head right for the sun. Destination: Phoenix, with a
stop along the way at the Grand Canyon.
I fired up Automap and took the easy road, so to speak, by start¬
ing with the Route Wizard, a feature that walked me through plan¬
ning a trip in eight quick steps. I typed in the vitals: starting point,
destination, and stopping points. I was surprised to learn that there
are 14 U.S. cities named Phoenix, but I stuck with my original plan
to visit Arizona. Next, I asked the Route Wizard to tell me about
attractions and parks close to my route. Then I typed in how many
hours a day I’d be driving, what kind of gas mileage my car gets,
and how fast I’ll be going on various types of roads. Finally, I opted
for the shortest pos¬
sible route.
Voila! Detailed
directions taking me
from the City by the
Bay to the Valley of
the Sun, with an
approximate time
schedule for each
day, including when
I need to stop and
refuel. Whenever an
interesting sight is in
range, it’s listed in
blue in the itinerary, with directions on how
to get there. Mostly you get standard tourist
attractions like state parks and zoos, but I
also uncovered such gems as Rawhide
Western Town and Island of Big Surf, a water
park in Tempe, Arizona, that has artificial
waves on which you can surf. Cool, dude.
What makes Automap better than a regular atlas is that you
don’t have to decipher the map’s tangle of highways and byways.
Automap’s directions are in plain English: “bear left on 140.”
Automap also provides maps that trace your route and are dot¬
ted with icons for various points of interest. That may sound like a
good idea, but it’s not. The route map is so cluttered with tiny
camera icons (indicating a picture of the site), little tickets (for
attractions), and the like that you can’t even discern roads and
place names. Sure, you can turn off the various icons and lessen
the map detail, but it’s still not very useful. And when you click
anywhere on the map, place names and interstate highway sym¬
bols pop up, further obscuring the map—and each other.
Watching these maps redraw the layers and layers of icons is
enough to make the Multimaniac stay home.
Automap—like the other travel-planning programs—is great
for generating quick, reliable directions. But it isn’t that helpful for
planning a unique trip filled with exciting stops. You’re better off
thumbing through a good travel book or popping into an online
travel forum and getting advice from others who have been there.
Bon voyage! (Microsoft; 800426-9400; Win CD, $39.95) %
38 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
• 2 additional battlesets, for 30 new,
startlingly realistic scenarios.
• All-new Scenario Editor. You
design the encounter.
• Over 100 full-motion video and
sound clips for unbelievable
realism.
• Detect, track and engage all forces.
• Realistic weather modeling.
• Military-style vector maps.
• Vast database with tech specs and
pictures of hundreds of ships, subs
and aircraft.
communications A-jE9hk\
models recreate
electronic warfare. | J
Westpac Battle Sets.
Add an incredible array of features
like toolbar control buttons, easy
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most realistic battle game ever.
^!< 1 < < < €
Imagine driving the wrong way in rush hour traffic, before
catching enough air to make a seagull blush. Is it the L.A.
freeways? No, it’s the Sony" PlayStation." Introducing
Namco's Ridge Racer. Gut-wrenching first-person views.
five different courses and 200+
the PlayStation provides racing so realistic you’ll need
ihorts for skidmarks. Oi
Look for Ridge Rat
Mortal Kombat 1 ’ 3 on the PlayStation before Christmas.
between feature films
and computer games.
Here’s what to expect.
He dashes forward off the top of a
20-foot comice and lands without a
wobble. A branch stirs in the distance
and he switches on his DNA verification
tracker helmet. Suddenly a slew of
armed snowbohrders emerge from the
trees. With the accuracy of a trained
killer, he turns and shoots two, sending
them headlong into a gorge below.
Quickly, he activates two rockets on his
jet-powered skis...
Is it a classic scene from a movie like
The Spy Who Loved Me ? No. It’s just a
typical scenario from Fox Hunt,
Capcom’s upcoming full-motion video
computer game, or “interactive movie,”
as they are sometimes called.
It sounds exciting, but are these high-
tech flicks worth your money and time?
Admission costs from $50 to $100, along
with an investment of many hours.
You’ll have to put up with video that’s
less than TV-quality, because a variety of
technical constraints can cause the video
to be dark, muddy, and subject to blips,
delays, and jerky motion. Just as impor¬
tant, integrating live-action video clips in
adventure games or space simulations can
seriously compromise game play. If you’re
looking for full control, lots of diverse
puzzles, and immediate action, you may
be disappointed with video-based games.
Nonetheless, as such big-time PC mak¬
ers as Compaq begin to include video¬
acceleration technology in their standard
multimedia systems, you can bet that even
more game makers will break out their
director’s chairs and start shooting.
Indeed, more than two dozen new full-
motion-video computer games will be on
store shelves this fall and early next year.
You’ll also see a slew of action games that
include non-interactive video clips from
feature films, such as Acclaim’s Judge
Dredd and Batman Forever. Finally, look
for a few video-based games released in
conjunction with a movie. These may use
original footage, a la Sony Computer
Entertainment’s Johnny Mnemonic.
We look at this interactive-cinema
rage and tell you about the newest con¬
tenders coming soon to a computer
near you.
The Golden Age
Interactive movie is a rather presumptu¬
ous tide for a medium bom in 1991 when
Access Software introduced The Martian
Memorandum, the first game to include
digitized video of live actors. But it wasn’t
until 1993 that a company—Ironically
located in sleepy Medford, Oregon, light
years from Hollywood or Silicon Valley-
developed the game that lit fire to the live-
action-video fuse. Trilobyte’s The 7th
Guest sold more than a million units, if
you include copies bundled with multime¬
dia PCs and upgrade kits.
The success of The 7th Guest—with
its mix of human actors, horror-movie
storyline, and puzzles—was a watershed.
It led to mountains of multimedia hype,
hordes of pretentious cocktail parties,
and precocious dreams of “Siliwood”—
the much-anticipated marriage of
Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Now that
games seemed more like television and
movies, such Goliath entertainment com¬
panies as MGM, Fox, and Viacom
jumped into the fray, dreaming that soft¬
ware had hit the big time and would
soon be a mass-market phenomenon.
In no time, a flood of me-too efforts
followed The 7th Guest to the party.
Such first-generation interactive movies
as Critical Path from Mechadeus and
Hyperbole’s Quantum Gate used a video
technique called chroma-key (see Code
Blue) that incorporated real actors, but
didn’t defiver compelling game play.
By Bill Meyer
42 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
105
|||
'lH 1 tyW&m
l kx 3
f -£ Afck»j
"“'fffiGame?
A Fork in the Road
Now a days game developers are taking
varying approaches to integrating video in
their products. A few gutsy developers have
taken an “all or nothing” approach that
relies on the video to drive both story and
game play. In games such as Johnny
Mnemonic, players interact directly with the
video by talking to characters or directing
action. These games tend to be heavy on pro¬
duction values, but light on game play.
Other game makers have used video pri¬
marily to propel the game’s storyline. These
games, such as The 7th Guest or Wing
Commander HI, run video as a series of cut
scenes linking more-traditional game-play
segments. The
challenge here is
movie and game
ing experience.
No one knows
which approach
will win players.
“I think the
cept [of cinematic
games] is a good one, but it has not yet been
determined how to use it,” says Roberta Wil¬
liams, co-founder of Sierra On-Line. “It’s a
concept that needs molding and massaging.”
Williams foresees an evolutionary process
involving the trial and error of many devel¬
opers. For her, as for most game makers, the
big question is how to successfully mix inter¬
activity with cinematic elements. But
Williams says that expanding the movie por¬
tion is not the answer.
Instead, she envisions
interactive movies as
glorified adventure
games, with quick and
effective cinematic ele¬
ments leading to more
interactivity and game
play. “Movies are
movies, and that’s fine,”
Williams asserts, “but
people want to do.”
Other developers
hold out more hope of
marrying interactivity
to the video experience.
Digital Pictures was one
of the first companies
to take the all-video
leap—eliminating ani¬
mated game-play altogether. Unfortunately,
such early Digital Pictures titles as the
adventure shooter Corpse Killer, starring
Vincent Schiavelli, were marred by poor-
quality video and
simple-minded
game play.
Digital Pictures’
newest crop of ti¬
tles, including Max¬
imum Surge, use the
company’s propri¬
etary software-
based video decom¬
pression technology
called DigiChrome to produce surprisingly
crisp full-motion, full-screen video. You join
Bay watch regular Yasmine Bleeth to hunt
down the evil Drexel (Walter Koenig,
Chekov in the original Star Trek), who is
attempting to control various power stations
and repopulate a territory with androids.
(Speaking of Baywatch beauties, Erika
Eleniak stars in Imagination Pilots
Entertainment’s Panic in the Park, a game
that mixes a video
adventure with ar¬
cade-style gaming.
And Pamela Anderson is appearing in Dark
Horse Interactive’s upcoming Barb Wire.
Based on the Dark Horse comic book hero¬
ine, Barb Wire is also an upcoming big-
Sierra On-Line’s Phantasmagoria spices up the
adventure game format with great art and video.
Maximum Surge also uses a second video
technology called InstaSwitch to continuous¬
ly composite four planes of video—a back¬
ground, target, and two objects in the fore¬
ground—on top of each other in real time.
The purpose is to give the player greater
movement control and variety. For instance,
you will be able to jump behind various
obstacles and peek out from behind them in
multiple directions. “Instead of coming at it
like a movie, we decided to design a good
44 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
action game that looks like a movie,” says
director of marketing Kevin Welsh. “Game-
play control was the number one item on
our agenda.”
Window of Opportunity
Capcom, a new player in the PC CD-ROM
market, is also shooting for a seamless blend
of movie and game. Its new Fox Hunt spoofs
the James Bond genre, using a game engine
based on the one Peter Marx originally
designed for Johnny Mnemonic.
This engine allows players to interact with
the movie without stopping the
action. At certain “windows of
opportunity,” you can press a key
to direct the action. No icons, dia¬
logue menus, or abstract geometric
puzzles clutter the screen.
Marx and producer Adam
Bums share a cinematic vision for
Fox Hunt. Bums thinks early full-
motion video games were more
about technology than character and story.
“[The games] didn’t come from a filmmak¬
er’s point of view,” Bums argues. Fox Hunt
will be different, he says: “We could have
edited it into a feature film.”
Just like a movie, Fox Hunt is structured
in three acts, shot on 16mm film instead of
video for better resolution, and filmed on real
sets. Fox Hunt stars such seasoned actors as
former Bond George Lazenby and Timothy
Bottoms (The Last Picture Show), as well as
newcomer Andrew Bowen as the game’s
unlikely hero.
But while Bums believes the game’s cine¬
matic element is critical, he rejects the label of
“interactive movie.” “[Fox Hunt] has the
look, feel, and structure of a feature film, but
it is not an interactive movie—it’s a game,”
he says. “I think the fundamental problem
with most full-motion-video games is that
they don’t have good game play.”
To remedy that situation, Fox Hunt’s
windows of opportunity will let you ski, sky¬
dive, and shoot. And the game will offer
multiple paths, bad guys, and endings. You
can even wear the black hat.
Marx claims the new game will go far
beyond Johnny Mnemonic’s limited action
and choppy movement. “We need that com¬
pelling time component,” he says. “We need
to have the story moving along so you don’t
leave the cinematic experience—it’s a motion
picture that doesn’t stop moving.”
Electronic Arts is shooting for a slightly
Prtmind stars actual members of the bump in the night after you
UOming SFPD. It’s due in the fall, move into the house of a
AttP3CtlOnS (Grolier Electronic Publishing; deceased eccentric magician.
800-285-4534; Win CD/Mac On shelves now, this adven-
f^ozens of full-motion- CD, $49.95) ture game is the first cine-
magoria engine. (Sierra On-
Line; 800-853-7788; Phan¬
tasmagoria, Win CD, $69.95)
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 45
Legend Entertainment’s Mission Critical stars Michael
Dom from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
“'tefeme?
different union of film and
game in Psychic Detective.
Assistant producer Ric Neil
says, “We went for the movie
experience.” He’s right: If you
feed all three discs to your
computer, the whole story will
play right through to its con¬
clusion. (In fact, you just might
want to watch it once before
you play. This twisted murder
mystery is sort of like Clue on
LSD, and you may need help
figuring out how to make psychic/enter¬
tainer Eric Fox jump into other charac¬
ters’ minds to solve a string of ghoulish
murders.)
Neil says Psychic Detective uses ground¬
breaking video techniques to let it instantly
switch videos and character perspectives.
While Neil avoids calling Psychic Detective
an interactive movie, he says it does come
closer to this vision than previous titles:
“It’s not a flight sim with movie clips,” he
boasts. Indeed, apart from a traditional puz¬
zle element at the end of the game, the
entire experience is propelled by the player
directing the psychic to jump from one
character to another.
Game Show
Only time will establish the formula for suc¬
cessful video-based computer games. Is it
great game play with a sprinkling of cinema,
or a terrific movie with some cleverly embed¬
ded game play? For now, most developers—
even those like Fox Hunt’s Adam Burns—
agree that game play must come first.
So if you’re a gamer who likes tradition¬
al game play, look to the adventure and
flight sim games that use video to intro¬
duce the plot, develop the characters, and
heighten the game’s sense of realism. These
games—the Wing Commander series, The
Pandora Directive and The 11th Hour, the
sequel to The 7th Guest—offer real puzzle
play or in-flight action, dressed up nicely in
cinematic trappings. If you are more of a
movie fan who wants something new,
games like Psychic Detective and Fox Hunt
are for you.
In the long run, though, full-motion-
video games must create their own identity.
As game designers discover the technologi¬
cal and artistic approaches best suited for
immersing people in their interactive sto¬
ries, games will no longer imitate movies.
Sierra’s Williams puts it this way: “A
new form of cinematic technique is going
to evolve just for computer games.” When
that happens, instead of scrambling to live
up to confusing labels like interactive
movies, computer games that happen to use
video will stand on their own as what they
are: games. ^
January 1994
Premiere Issue
$9.95
November 1994
Star Trek (includes free CD-ROM)*
$5.95
February 1994
Hollywood
$3.95
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Doom Killer (includes free CD-ROM)*
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Multimedia Party
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MTV’S Club Dead (includes free CD-ROM)*
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Digital Escapes
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Editor’s Choice Awards
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June 1994
Discover the Future of Multimedia
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April 1995
50 Games on the Drawing Board for ’95! $5.95
July 1994
Multimedia To The Max
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Canada, $12.00 outside the US.
(Add $2.00 for each additional issue, $3.00 out¬
side of the US) Allow 2 to 4 weeks for delivery.
46 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
I& PRODIGY
le that you’re a planet in a nice, quiet solar
1 , just orbiting away, minding your own
fisiness. Suddenly, the sun explodes. Miracu-
lisly, you survive, but things will never be the
le again. You’re part of that sun now, and the
|ce-mild climate is scorching. And just as you
o the heat, you look up to find a huge
Steroid hurtling straight toward you. That’s
| it’s like to be an online service in 1995.
Just a year or two ago, the online world was simple—
and kind of sleepy. CompuServe led the pack, Prodigy had
lots of subscribers (and lots of ugly ads to annoy them),
and America Online (AOL), Delphi, and GEnie plugged
away at their own mildly popular niches.
Today, everything is different: Millions of new users
have hopped onto the online services, enticed more than
anything by the promise of fun—celebrity chats, hobby
forums, and pen pals. AOL led the n.. n n __| J
charge with a year of explosive growth. D J U 0II d 10
Apple weighed in with its eWorld service, only to find out
that online life wasn’t going to be easy. And all of the ser¬
vices heard the footsteps of the stampede toward the
Internet. Now, they’re looking over their shoulders at
Microsoft’s promise to include its Microsoft Network in
every copy of the Windows 95 operating system.
It all adds up to a radically changed landscape since
February of last year, when Electronic Entertainment did
an entertainment overview of the major online services
(“Calling All Games,” February 1994, page 72). But the
turmoil is good news for online surfers. In a frantic attempt
to court customers in this newly competitive environment,
all of the services have added a deluge of entertainment con¬
tent. They’ve scrambled to include access to the Internet,
and especially the World Wide Web. Best of all, they’ve had
to cut prices and increase access speeds to survive.
Things are still heating up, of course, but you won’t get t
burned if you jump in now. To make it easier, we’ll tell |
you what you’ll find out in cyberspace right now: Which J
services make it easy to join, and which make it hard. I
What each service does well and where it falls down. And |
Qj. i l where to find the fun stuff—no matter 1
Uli uOnn where you log on.
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 47
CjMsPifeW
The Big Three
America Online
n OL is still pinching itself to make sure
it didn’t just dream its way through
1994 and early 1995. The online ser¬
vice claimed 1.5 million subscribers on
Christmas Day last year; a month later, it
had added a phenomenal 7SO,000 more.
And the momentum is accelerating—as all
your friends jump on the AOL bandwag¬
on, you just might want to join them.
Unfortunately, AOL’s phenomenal
growth hasn’t been without attendant prob¬
lems. Increased congestion means that at
times, subscribers are almost as likely to see
the dreaded “For some reason, the host has
failed to respond” message as they are the
system greeting. AOL can get insanely
crowded at peak times, badly overloading its
service desk. And AOL users
may still find themselves pari¬
ahs on the Internet. (AOL
members quickly gained a rep¬
utation for ignoring Internet
“netiquette”; in many news-
groups, any message posted
from an address that ends in
@aol.com is now marked as
instant flame-bait.) And as
AOL users swarm onto the
World Wide Web with the ser¬
vice’s new browser, you can
expect significant performance
slowdowns during peak usage hours. The
company’s new ’Net-only service, built on its
May purchase of Global Network Navigator
Advertisement
(GNN), will also draw people to the Web.
Nevertheless, AOL is still the place to be.
Content providers have scrambled to get on
the service, which means that you’ll find a
host of cool stuff there. Magazine readers can
enjoy online efforts from Entertainment
Weekly, Time, Spin, and many more, while
TV watchers can interact with NBC, ABC,
MTV, and Comedy Central. Gossip hounds
can get the daily dish from Geraldo Rivera
and Ricki Lake; Keyword to their names.
AOL’s music resources are also focused and
full. Look for them under the MusicSpace
(Keyword: MusicSpace) bulletin board.
Gamewise, AOL has added a lot of game-
developer forums (Gametek, TSR, LucasArts,
Broderbund, and others; Keyword to the
company name). AOL also has specific
forums for gamers—role-players, online
gamers, and strategy fans will all find areas
particular to their interests.
„ GETTING ON: + * + + *
48 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Com puServe
T he CompuServe Information Service
(CIS) has been No. 1 in the online
game since the early 1980s, and the
company doesn’t plan to tinker too heavily
with its winning formula. Broad yet deep
content; unparalleled international access; a
reasonably good graphical interface that
CompuServe plans to improve even further;
plus a reliable network and efficient service
all help keep CompuServe—which still leads
the subscriber pack with more than 3 million
users—among the serious online players.
One area in which CI$ (as it’s often called
by online habitues) hasn’t tried to compete,
however, is pricing. CompuServe still charges
for incoming Internet e-mail, although it’s cut
those prices somewhat. And while it’s added
many more areas to its unlimited access
“basic services,” many popular CompuServe
forums remain “extended services,” and still
charge you by the minute for time spent
there. CompuServe’s Internet pricing, while
competitive, tacks on its $2.50/hour charge
after just three hours, as opposed to five
hours on AOL
and Prodigy.
With the addition
of a World Wide
Web browser this
past April, that
could all add up
to big charges for
CompuServe Web
surfers. (CIS does
offer a plan for
chart on page 51).
On the content side, CompuServe
finally begun paying more serious attention
to the gaming community. The service has
added Action Games (Go action) and Video
Games (Go video) forums, and has encour¬
aged developers to join its four Game De¬
velopers areas (Go gamapub, gambpub,
gamcpub, and gamdpub). You’ll also find the
latest shareware offerings in the Hot Games
Download area (Go hotgames), as well as
specific forums geared toward flight-sim
enthusiasts, fantasy role-players, and modem
gamers, among others.
Entertainment content on
CIS is not just limited to games.
In fact, CompuServe has a seri¬
ous Tinseltown orientation,
with Hollywood Online (Go
flicks), the Marilyn Beck/Liz
Smith Hollywood gossip area
(Go beck), the popular online
gabfest Stein Online (Go stein),
and the Soap Opera Forum
(Go soapforum), to name a
few. CompuServe’s music-
based offerings are also quite
robust: RockNet (Go rock) functions as a
general-purpose music forum, while about
20 record companies lurk in the Recording
Industry Forum (Go record). Visit the All-
Music Database and Forum (Go allmusic),
and you should be able to find answers to
just about any music query you could
dream up.
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ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 49
Surfing In Foous
F or all the breadth of the major online services, there are still niches for smaller, more
directed services. Two such niches are being filled by AT&T, which is testing AT&T
Interchange, a business-oriented service that'll include The Washington Post and The
Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Look for more offerings during its phased rollout this fall. The tele¬
phone giant also purchased the ImagiNation Network, one of the two premier game-oriented
national nets, from Sierra On-Line last year. INN offers multiplayer gaming for role-players and
flight-sim addicts (you can play Red Baron with someone 3,000 miles away), and it also has a
kid’s area, the Little Red Funhouse. Simple installation features (game software comes on the
disks) makes it easy to get into. (ImagiNation Network; 800-462-4461; DOS/Windows;
$9.95/month (includes five free hours), plus $2.95/hour; extended plans available)
MPG-Net, the other established gamers’ network, recently expanded beyond its Kingdom of
Drakkar game. Six new games, including Empire Builder, Minion Hunter, and Operation Market
Garden, recently came online. MPG-Net has also added a graphical front end to its text-only
interface, and has established a save-game feature. MPG-Net will be accessible through the
Microsoft Network starting this month. (Multi-Player Games Network; 305-296-5996; DOS, plus
Macintosh for Kingdom of Drakkar and MUD II; $4/hour access through national communica¬
tions networks, $2/hour in the New York City area and over the Internet)
A pair of other national networks are currently in beta testing. TEN (Total Entertainment
Network) will also feature gaming, including SimCity Online, the first multiplayer version of the
classic simulation. The network backs up its games with e-mail, an innovative graphical
Usenet interface, and other entertainment-oriented areas. The sen/ice is planned for a fall roll
out TEN recently strengthened its offerings by folding in Outland, an established Mac gaming
bulletin board. (Planet Optigon; 800-867-8446; DOS/Windows; not yet priced)
MedioNet takes a different approach. Medio, best known for multimedia discs like The JFK
Assassination and its monthly CD-ROM magazine, will link its CD-ROMs to its service. Buttons
on topics in Medio magazine will kick you to Usenet newsgroups through a proprietary network
gateway. Once you connect, MedioNet will offer full Internet access. The service, now testing in
the Seattle area, is slated to go national later this fall. Medio also plans an interactive TV com¬
ponent in tandem with Microsoft (Medio; 800-788-3866; Windows; not yet priced) -DSJ
Prodigy
P rodigy may have changed more than any
other service in the last 18 months. Once
an insular (though huge), cluttered,
dated-seeming online backwater, it today
takes pride in calling itself “the world’s
biggest Internet services provider.”
Two years ago, even less, such an idea
i an online service last February.
would have been unthinkable, but Prodigy
won the race among the major online ser¬
vices to offer graphical World Wide Web
access. Even with many of its members con¬
nected with modems too slow to surf the
Web, the service claims to have picked up
250,000 new subscribers by getting there
first. In May, Prodigy again beat its competi¬
tors to the punch when it began letting users
mount their own personal Web pages. And,
eventually, Prodigy plans to put all of the ser-
vice’s content on the Web, much of it
through Prodigy’s AstraNet home page.
The rush to the Web has helped Prodigy
overcome two real stigmas—ads (it was the
first service to carry ’em) and the ugliest
interface this side of a Marlboro billboard.
The company’s sleek new P2 interface, due
out by the time you read this, will make the
ads smaller, uncouple them from Prodigy’s
own screens, and link them to advertisers’
home pages on the Web.
The new interface won’t affect Prodigy’s
lack of game content, however. Serious
gamers won’t find much of interest here; the
“Galaxy of Games” offerings seem more like
a meteorite full. (If you want to check it any¬
way, Jump games.)
The wholeheartedly mainstream Prodigy
does better in general entertainment. For TV
viewers, Prodigy is nothing short of fabulous:
33 different network or cable channels have
areas, most with detailed program listings.
And the movie, music, and theater areas all
have active bulletin boards. Click on the
Entertainment button in the Highlights area,
then choose your category button from there.
. HHHHB HH
The Contender
The Microsoft
Network
R eady or not, here it comes. Bill Gates’
crew has been tooling the Microsoft
Network (MSN) for more than a
year, and with the full release of Windows
95 due on the shelves now, one-click
Internet access is going to be right there
with it. The concept scares the pants off
the other services—enough that they’re
eagerly cooperating with a potential
antitrust probe of MSN by the U.S. Justice
Department.
Not without good reason, either. The soft¬
ware giant has developed a service that looks
great and boasts a raft of easy-to-use fea-
The Microsoft Network has a natural
advantage over other services—an interface
built into Windows 95.
tures. As long as you have Windows 95, that
is; Mac and Windows 3.1 users are facing an
indefinite wait to get onto MSN.
In some respects, MSN will advance the
state of the graphical interface art among the
online networks. Areas designed using
MSN’s Blackbird software tools achieve a
graphical richness that will make other ser-
50 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
vices drool, although most content providers
won’t be able to deploy Blackbird-built envi¬
ronments until next year. The service also
excels at instantly displayable pictures—even
better and faster than the Netscape Web
browser and America Online. And in a radi¬
cal innovation, MSN lets you create a
Windows icon for any World Wide Web link
and drag it into a window or onto the desk¬
top, then click on the icon to go directly to
your favorite site.
The Network’s pricing will also differ from
the other services. AOL and CompuServe
work on the pay-as-you-go principle, charg¬
ing by the minute and sharing the proceeds
with the content provider. MSN turns that
model on its head. It plans to charge a small
connect fee (undetermined at press time), and
then let content providers determine their
own prices for entrance to particular areas.
Microsoft will then get a share of that.
MSN content offerings are off to a slow
but sure start. Microsoft’s own consumer
offerings are there, of course. Services from
former Microsoft co-honcho Paul Allen’s
Starwave include the popular ESPNet and
Mr. Showbiz. Gamers will get easy access to
the multiplayer gaming network MPG-Net
(see “Surfing In Focus” on page 50) through
MSN, and other early consumer offerings
include U.S. News and World Report, the
Seattle Times, and the Women’s Wire net¬
work. Microsoft also made its first raid on
other systems in May, enticing NBC away
from AOL and Prodigy. Look for more as
the Network comes online.
The Sleepers
Delphi
f or the want of a nail, Delphi’s potential
kingdom may have been lost. Delphi
Internet Services has some key advan¬
tages, including a core of committed users,
and substantial backing from Rupert
Murdoch’s and now MCI, plus content from
Fox and Murdoch’s many other communica¬
tions holdings. Even better, it had full
Internet access light years before everyone
else—gopher, telnet, text-based World Wide
Prices
Internet access
800-203-3200
$9.95/month
(includes 5 free
hours), plus
$2.50/hour
28.8 Kbps through
AOLnet (Keyword:
AOLnet); 14.4
Kbps otherwise
e-mail, Usenet, FTP,
gopher, World Wide
Web
Fully stocked, easily
navigable service that
probably includes
your friends
•osf
$9.95/month
plus fees;
$24.95/month
for Internet Club
28.8 Kbps in
selected cities
e-mail, Usenet, FTP,
telnet, World Wide
Web
Chock-full of content,
totally reliable, and the
most international of
all the services
fRiT-
$9.95/month
(includes 5 free
hours), plus
$2.95/hour
14.4 Kbps
e-mail, Usenet, World
Wide Web
Sharper looking now,
and the easiest way to
access the Internet
ISHi
800-695-4005
$10/month
(includes 4 free
hours), plus
$4/hour
9600 bps
e-mail, Usenet, FTP,
gopher, telnet, World
Wide Web (text-only)
Cool entertainment
offerings, but wait for
a graphical interface
800-638-9636
$8.95/month
(includes 4 free
hours), plus
$3/hour
9600 bps
e-mail, Usenet, FTP,
gopher, telnet, World
Wide Web (text-only)
Good for gamers, but
in flux; wait on this
until they figure out
where they’re going
800-775-4556
$8.95/month
(includes 4 free
hours), plus
$Z95/hour
14.4 Kbps
e-mail, Usenet, FTP,
World Wide Web
Good Mac interface,
Windows interface,
Internet connections
Web, the whole deal. Its Internet support is
still unmatched among online services.
What it’s never had is a graphical inter¬
face. And Delphi still doesn’t have one,
which is why the Big Three have gobbled up
new subscribers while Delphi muddles along
with its core of 125,000 members.
The problems aren’t from lack of trying.
Delphi worked on a graphical interface for
nearly two years, only to scrap it last year
after a management shakeup. The situation
should finally change soon: Delphi has cut a
deal with Netscape—the current god of
Web-browser firms—to integrate its browser
for easy World Wide Web dial-in and access.
And Delphi says its new graphical interface,
slated for this year and in beta testing now,
will be built on Internet-friendly standards.
Once Delphi gets graphical—and even
now—there’s no lack of fun stuff to discover.
Start with forums devoted to two of TV’s
most popular shows, the creepy The X-Files
and the lurid Melrose Place. Delphi is also
the official online site for the Rolling Stones.
And the service competitively supports the
gaming community. Among other things, it
was the first place where gamers could find
the shareware version of Descent. Counting
Delphi out of the online game would be a
mistake, but there’s little question that 1995
is the year that it either changes the face it
presents to the public or does a slow fade.
C Enie is another service that found itself
stuck in first gear while AOL rocketed
forward. In 1994, the service lost more
than half of its membership, falling from a
high of 200,000 to the current 75,000.
While rumors have flown that GEnie will
take some different shape or be broken into
market-specific pieces, the service hasn’t sat
idle. Last April, it slashed prices and introduced
a graphical interface. New users still need a ter¬
minal application such as MicroPhone or
ZTerm to join GEnie, but it’s easy to download
the interfaces once you’re on the service. Also,
GEnie offers a full raft of Internet services, lack¬
ing only graphical Web access. The company
says that will roll out later this year.
GEnie doesn’t skimp on entertainment con¬
tent, either. It features multiplayer games such
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 51
as Island of Kesmai, BattleTech, Stellar
Emperor, and Orb Wars, and recently cut a
deal with Interpay to mount a multiplayer
version of Descent with new features. (For
more information, see Game News, page 58)
And GEnie’s “roundtable” forum areas are
still robust, particularly the ones dedicated to
music, comic books, and sci-fi/fantasy topics.
As for GEnie’s long-term future, stay tuned.
eWorld
T his service opened in June 1994 to great
fanfare—and then faced serious critical
brickbats as people discovered Apple’s
great Mac-only interface didn’t connect to a
lot of content. Apple’s newly upgraded
eWorld software is slated to include
Windows support before the year’s out, but
the company still hasn’t figured out how to
make it easy to sign up. Unless you buy a
new Mac and get it pre-installed, you have to
The eWorld village Is friendly, but still fairly unpopulated.
eWorld, but nothing you can’t find in more
mail away for eWorld con¬
nection software. Thus, with
80,000 subscribers, eWorld
remains a bit player in the
online world.
For those who do venture
into Apple’s nest, the experi¬
ence resembles hooking up to
AOL. Once in, the interface is
easy to understand and navi¬
gate; you start at the “town
square” and move to various
areas by clicking on the appro¬
priate buildings or folders in
the animated townscape.
Unfortunately, ease of use isn’t always
enough. Entertainment buffs will find a
sparse collection of offerings. The game area
offers a few developer forums and some mul¬
tiplayer games, but you won’t find even the
biggest PC shareware hits like Doom and
Descent. Music fans fare better; they can
peruse a fairly active library of offerings from
more than 20 record companies, including
Atlantic and Rykodisc. Similarly, there are
movie- and television-based zones on
depth on other services. And Apple only
added Internet access last July, well after all
the other major services. In short, Apple has
plans for eWorld, but it still has some catch¬
ing up to do. *2;
„ GETTING ON: * *
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52 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
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® 1995 1NFOGRAMES/I•MOTION, Inc.
I he blockbuster 1986 movie Top Cun had Maverick role-a "loose-cannon" pilot with a severe
something for just about everyone: fast-paced disrespect for authority-at the stick of an
aerial action, drama, romance, cool tunes, and F-14 Tomcat. You start out at the Fighter Weapons
hot actors, including Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and School to compete for the Top Cun trophy, and then
Kelly McGillis. Now, almost 10 years later. Spectrum get swept up in a series of 40 combat missions in
HoloByte hopes to revive the movie's Cuba, Korea, and Libya. Your goal is to cool off
legacy with Top Gun: Fire at Will, a PC these hot spots with some hotter flying and, ulti-
flight sim designed for mass appeal. mately, to survive.
The game's storyline picks up more than midway Fire at Will features a combination of new and
through the movie, with you playing Tom Cruise's original movie footage along with high-resolution
Climb into Ups cockpit of this r
unique new mass-market flight-sim ^ -
that brings Ihe Hollywood touch
to the unfriendly skies.
i W
3-D graphics and a fresh soundtrack. Automated
radar operation and wingman orders make the
game a breeze to get into for novice PC pilots. At
the same time, Spectrum hopes Fire at Will's
realistic flight model will appeal to experienced
flight-sim fanatics.
True to its Hollywood roots, the game features a
cast of more than 20 characters, including actor
James Tolkan, who reprises his role as Hondo,
Maverick's cigar-chomping commanding officer. The
well-shot video cut scenes and some 4,000 lines of
dialogue propel the plot and capture the feel of the
original Top Cun movie. However, the movie ele¬
ments are not interactive; you are only a witness to
the onscreen action.
Fire at Will should be on store shelves by the time
you read this. If you don't want to crash and burn,
strap yourself into the cockpit for our exclusive
Guided Tour mission briefing. (Spectrum HoloByte;
800-695-4263; DOS CD, not yet priced)
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 55
MAXIMUM STAND OFF
cimmci
momissmi
.- ££ 1 fljj
. i . -. : .
> *
ip^s* i
ll' ^
T 3
- ■'
%r \
A V %-
1
1
f»h V. - -. V
■■■■
always
SFIFCT ARMAMENTS:
•f*' ><aV ^ * 1 your face, but you
Thank God it’s only a game.
Ultimately, Dwango wants to connect all its
local servers into a single worldwide network,
allowing players to test their skills against other
competitors around the globe.
Don’t own the game that you want to play?
You can easily download a copy from Dwango’s
site on the World Wide Web (http://www.hti.net/
dwango/welcome.html) or BBS (713-467-9272)
along with the Dwango client software you’ll need
to log into the service. If you already own the
latest version of the games, you’re ready to roll;
just direct your computer to dial up Dwango’s
local access numben After a $20 one-time
entrance fee, you buy play time—$20 for 10
hours or $35 for 20 hours—for games in your local area.
If you want to play a Deathmatch with someone across
the country, you need to connect to a separate server and
pay $10 an hour So you can try before you buy, Dwango
makes the first 30 minutes of play and the chat room
free. (Dwango; 713-467-0405; PC, upfront $20 fee, $20/
10 hours or $35/20 hours)
Dwango isn’t the only multiplayer game in town. (For
more on gaming networks, see “Surfing In Focus,” page
50. ) GEnie has inked a deal with Interplay to develop
two titles for GEnie’s multiplayer game service, including
an enhanced version of Descent that includes new game
variations, such as capture-the-flag, a pair of new hover-
crafts, and a new level available each week. GEnie has
also closed an exclusive deal with MicroProse for a multi¬
player version of Magic: The Gathering. Multiplayer
mavens should look for both on GEnie this month.
(GEnie; 800-638-9636; PC/Mac, $8.95 a month, $3 per
hour with $2 surcharge between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.)
—Bill Meyer
et ready for Dwango, a new gaming network com¬
ing soon to a city near you. Dwango (Dial-up Wide Area
Network Gaming Operation) promises to deliver the
fastest, most up-to-date multiplayer games across the
nation, 24 hours a day. Currendy, Dwango has estab¬
lished a dozen game servers in major metropolitan areas
of the U.S. and Canada—including New York City,
Chicago, Dallas, Montreal, and San Francisco—with
more franchises due to open up every month.
DWATIGO Ri g ht now, players can join in on four- to eight-play¬
er games of Doom, Doom II, Heretic, and Terminal
Velocity, and the company says its proprietary routing
technology ensures play that is equal to or faster than
regular, non-network games. Dwango has not set a min¬
imum modem-speed requirement, but your modem will
have to meet the demands of each game, most likely
9,600 bps or fasten To ensure that you are not slowed
down by another player with a slower modem and com¬
puter, players will match up with opponents with simi¬
lar hardware in the service’s chat room.
Scouting Report
Game News You Can Use
Virgin’s Orbital Studios is hard at work on an
exciting strategy and space simulation
game called for DOS CD-
ROM, due by the end of the year. The game
features strong graphics, two different ter¬
rain engines, and the ability to graduate from
wingman to fleet commander in an intrigu¬
ing conflict between several alien races.
The long-awaited add-on disk to U.S. Navy
Fighters, is available now
from Electronic Arts with a new 35-mission
campaign involving a conflict between the
U.S., Japan, and Russia. As a Marine aboard
the carrier U.S.S. Wasp, players have a
choice of three new Vertical Short Take-off
and Landing (VSTOL) planes including the
the U.S. Marine AV-8B Harrier II.
Trekkers should watch for Viacom New
Media's
Explore the world of Deep
Space Nine, as a Tirrion delegate in the
Gamma Quadrant It’s due out in the fall.
Virgin Interactive’s Alien Alliance mixes
simulation with strategy.
Mac users, rejoice! LucasArts is releasing
and the
for the Macintosh in September.
PC users, meanwhile, can look for the
featuring
the original game, the Defender of the
Empire add-on disk, and 22 new missions.
Fist-fighting fans should watch for 47
Tek’s in November for
DOS CD-ROM. Meanwhile, Mirage Tech¬
nologies, makers of Rise Of The Robots,
will ship for the
PlayStation, Saturn, 3DO, PC, and Mac in
the fall.
Epic MegaGames has released a modem/
network upgrade disk for its robotic arcade
fighting game Also in
the works is the space-age action shooter
and scheduled for
fall on DOS CD-ROM.
To compete with the Saturn and PlayStation,
and have reduced the
price of their 3DO Multiplayers to $299.
58 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC EHTERTAINMEHT
I saw her future when
I read the box.
There I was, in this computer store,
coming to an exciting realization.
The multimedia kit in my hands
was far more than the latest
and greatest computer technology.
This was a learning rocket.
Video, animation and sound that will
take my daughter on a NASA trip to
Jupiter, let her experience the power
of Kennedy's inauguration speech,
and teach her about interest rates and
the Dow Jones. My head was spinning,
thinking what all this could lead to.
A ceremony I'd give the world to see.
What kind of people design this stuff?
Reveal's multimedia kits (and over 100 other exciting
Reveal upgrades) are available at most major computer
retailers. To learn more about us, visit our Web site at
http://www.reveal.com
REVEAL
THE POWER OF COMPUTER UPGRADING"
© 1995 Reveal Computer ProdudsJnc^Al^rights reserved.
W!
reduce the level of detail to keep things moving quickly.
FX Fighter stumbles a bit only when it comes to response
time. PCs have never been known for lightning-fast joystick-
response times, and that lag shows here. The characters
run, jump, spin, kick, and punch realistically in response
to your keyboard or joystick commands, but getting them
gonal PC fighting games.
Although FX Fighter still doesn’t scale the heights
of the top arcade and CD-console slugfests, its
graphics and action beat the stuffing out of most
other computer offerings. If you’ve got the horsepower you
won’t be disappointed by this mauler
Distributed by GTE Interactive, FX Fighter is the first com¬
puter game to use Argonaut Software’s Brender 3-D technol¬
ogy, which allows faster smoother action on the PC. The
result is realistic character movements as the tough guys (and
gals) work through more than 40 standard and special
attacks each. Like any good 3-D fighting game, the camera
perspective smoothly flows in and out to follow the action.
Also like any good fighting game, this one has a
story, which is spelled out nicely in a small full-color
comic book that serves as the game manual. Seems
an interstellar maniac named Rygil has arrived in
his mobile planet and is challenging all comers to
hand-to-hand combat. If the contestant wins, Rygil
will hand over all of his planet-busting power. If the
challenger loses.. .well, let’s just say that he won’t
have to worry about going home—even in a body
bag—because home won’t be there any more.
Players choose their character from eight different
races, each with varying strengths, weaknesses, and special
moves. The feline Ferans are cat-quick, for example, while
the tougher, slower Magmen can take an amaz¬
ing amount of punishment. Once you choose,
you must fight your way through all the other
contestants until you face Rygil himself. Beat
him, and the galaxy is yours.
Once you begin play, FX Fighter sounds great
and looks even better A high-energy, CD-quali-
ty soundtrack plays right off the disc as you kick
and punch your way through the game. The
grunts, thumps, and shouts of the characters add
an extra level of entertainment.
Visually, on a powerful Pentium-based PC, the
texture-mapped—if somewhat blocky—poly¬
gonal characters and sharp, colorful back¬
grounds make this PC game look as good as
some Saturn and PlayStation titles. Players with
slower machines can turn off the shading and
Sheba’s kicking up her heels, — , , r , . ,
and Venam’s going down. fP" dealer ° f death and
destruction takes tons of
practice and a little luck. Of course, you can always use the
keyboard, but who wants to play a fighting game with a key¬
board? If things seem too tough, you can adjust the comput¬
er’s skill level anywhere from wimpy to unstoppable.
Once you get used to FX Fighter’s generally impressive
game play, you will notice the occasional quirk. Sometimes
you’ll get credit for hits even though the characters appear to
be too far away from each other to have connected. And while
FX Fighter is certainly well executed, there’s really nothing
new here. You still fight in a ring, and if you’re knocked out¬
side its boundaries, you hear the familiar call of “Ring out!”
while your opponent chalks up another win. Lose the match,
and your opponent taunts you—verbally, and with emotion.
FX Fighter may not replace the hottest stand-up arcade
games—or even match up to fighters on Saturn,
PlayStation, and 3DO—but it’s by far the best 3-D fighting
game to find its way to the PC. Just think, your fancy
$2,000 computer can now almost keep up with a $400
VALUE: * * * *
60 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Adventures
with Edison"
3 challenging games
including—Mystery at the
Museums", Wild Science
Arcade” and Rock and
Bach Studio”—that teach
music, science and logic.
Windows
Wild Board
Games'
The fun way to learn 5
popular board games
including Chess, Checkers,
Reversi, Snakes and
Ladders and Puzzles.
Windows and Macintosh
Based on the popular children's book by Alan Rogers, Blue
Tortoise is a fun-filled interactive storybook featuring
colorful pages and an electronic coloring book. Designed for
your preschooler, ages 3 to 6, this charming CD-ROM
recounts the story of the Tortoise’s race to the picnic. It offers
fun and learning all wrapped up in a glorious, classic tale.
This engaging multimedia title will offer your child endless
Wild Cards
play 7 popular card
games including Crazy
Eights, Hearts, Fish, Old
Maid, War, Twenty-one
and Klondike.
Windows and Macintosh
Nikolai's Trains
An animated storybook
journey across the
landscape of a child's
imagination. It makes
learning to read an
adventure.
Windows and Macintosh
hours of fun, learning and creativity.
DVENTUR
^■^fter discovering
his identity and foiling
an alien plot to take over
the Earth in Delphine’s
hit action/strategy game
Flashback, Conrad B.
Hart was feeling pretty damn good about himself. Like
any good action hero, he’d kicked butt—and plenty of it.
However, unlike many heroes, Conrad didn’t get the girl and live
happily ever after
Instead, Conrad finds himself out of the frying pan and
into the fire. Fade To Black, an action/
adventure due to hit store shelves this
fall, picks up where the original left off
in terms of both plot and technology.
The new game begins as Conrad enters
cryogenic sleep for the long journey
back to Earth. However, the Morphs—
an evil alien race that possess the ability
to change into any form—intercept
face to face with Conrad’s spaceship and imprison him in
a massive Lunar detention complex.
■ Escaping his cell is a snap—with the
aid of a small contingent of human rebels
bent on overthrowing the aliens. From
then on, however; players once again
assume the role of Conrad—clad in his
familiar brown leather jacket and blue
jeans—as he joins the rebels in an effort to
uncover the Morphs’ secret and destroy
the sinister race once and for all.
id nimble feet are , 0n , the front, Fade To
, SSi Black bursts the two-dimensional, side¬
scrolling perspective of its predecessor to
emerge into a massive 3-D environment seen from multiple
camera angles. The result is a surprisingly effective blend of
Doom and Ecstatica.
However, unlike Ecstatica, Fade To Black won’t have you
banging into walls every time the camera angle changes. Fade
To Black’s fly-on-the-wall perspective works, thanks to a
myriad of user-selectable viewing angles. For example, if
you’re continually banging into walls using the default view
from directly behind Conrad, you can switch to a side or
front view at the touch of a key.
This system really shines during gunfights. You aim
Conrad’s blaster from an over-the-shoulder per-
rear feet s P ect ' ve as crouches and fires away—unlike,
say, Alone in the Dark, in which the ever-chang¬
ing angles make shooting anything a matter of
blind luck as much as skill.
The variety of views also gives you a better look at the
game’s outstanding images. Fade To Black features three dif¬
ferent types of 3-D graphics: static, texture-mapped back¬
grounds for such objects as walls, boxes, and barrels; dyna¬
mic 3-D interactive objects, including computer terminals
and cabinets; and a variety of mobile Morphs and robots to
blow away You’ll also see some cool background effects,
including water leaking down corridor walls and “living”
textures that add a psychedelic feel.
Fade To Black comprises six large levels, each with sev¬
eral sublevels. Every one has a task for Conrad to complete,
which may require completion of a series of smaller mis¬
sions. An electronic inventory keeps track of the various
items Conrad can pick up along the way, including special
bullets and grenades.
High-resolution, cinematic cut scenes tie Fade To Black’s
levels together. These imaginative cinematics also portray the
multitude of ways Conrad can die. They’re so good that
you’ll find yourself triggering traps just to see what happens.
A unique but easy-to-understand options screen lets you
replay any of the cut scenes you’ve already seen.
Not surprisingly, all these goodies require plenty of juice.
Break out the Pentium if you want the highest level of detail
and performance. If you’ve got a 486, you’ll find three detail
settings to suit your requirements.
You may have to practice for a little while to get used to
the game’s changing perspectives and 3-D world, but it’s
worth the effort. Our pre-release version of Fade To Black gave
every indication
PREVIEW
Fade To Black
By Steve Klett
62 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
you win all of its resources as well as a chance to recruit its
Champions. But be warned: If you are killed or captured in
battle, it’s game over.
Celtic Tales is turn-based, with each turn representing a
month’s passage. You have 70 years to unite the land and
defeat Balor. Fail, and the tribes of Eire remain slaves to the
powers of the Dark for all eternity. Seventy years may sound
like plenty of time, but having to attend to every little detail
from constructing weapons to tending
your cattle makes it pass quickly.
Unfortunately, the game’s sound—
or lack thereof—can make it seem
like time is standing still. There are no
sword clashes in battle or background
sounds such as birds singing or cattle
mooing. Sound effects are limited
to cheesy background music and a
beeping sound reminiscent of a stuck
keyboard as characters move around
I he land of Eire lays in waste, and the dreaded Balor and
his Fomor army rule its downtrodden citizens with an iron
fist. Thus begins your tum-of-the-first-millennium stay in
Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye.
This strategy/simulation game from KOEI casts you as i
There’s no arcade action to pass the
time, either To fight, you move your
characters and choose an action, such as attack or defend, and
then sit back and watch the outcome.
To help things along, your Druid and Bard Champions can
cast various magic spells with the aid of wooden and stone
runes. Wooden runes break after one use in battle, however so
to be successful you must search the far comers of Eire for
powerful stone runes, which you can use over and over
You’ll also want to practice your spell casting before the
final battle with Balog as the only way to discover most of the
of eight fictional characters ruling a small tribe of Celts. Your spells is through experimenting with different rune combina-
task? Unite the land’s 18 tribes, become High Ruler of Eire,
and, finally, take on Balor himself.
Don’t despair—you won’t fight alone. You’ll have the error is more cost-effective.
For a price, you can occasionally convince traveling
Bards to share a few of their spell-casting secrets, but trial and
Cultivate your tribe’s
If you can deal with the annoying soundtrack, Celtic Tales:
Balor of the Evil Eye mixes a compelling storyline with a chal¬
lenging blend of strategy, simulation, and role-playing. And
after all, you don’t want to leave the tribes of Eire suffering in
skills of various Champions at your beck and call. Put them
to work on everything from farming to cattle rustling.
Fortunately, ordering Champions around requires just a
few simple mouse clicks.
Winning the game will require a lot of slavery for all eternity, do you?
those simple clicks, however
To build up enough strength to
attack Balog you must first win
the trnst and support of neigh¬
boring tribes. You do that by
giving tribute in the form of
grain, wood, catde, or metals.
Of course, you have to accu¬
mulate these materials first
through the sweat of your
Champions’ brows. Once on
friendly terms with your neighbors, send a trade
caravan to the province and try to recruit other
Champions to join your cause.
Being a nice guy doesn’t always work, though.
And if a province won’t bend to your will through
bribery, you’ll have to try the more direct
approach: wan Defeat a province in battle, and
■M&Jl
Mortal Kombat®, Street
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version makes a good game great.
I he radio finally crackled to life: “Hornet
One, you are cleared for take-off.” Revving
the engines to 75%, I released the brake, and
the bird leapt onto the runway. I punched in
full afterburners, and was doing 225 mph before I hit the
halfway mark. Pulling up into a screaming left turn, I leveled other improvements
at just as a flock of MiGs blipped K'ntd my radar
I dove for the deck as my Sidewinders sped toward the
bandits. The bomber, my primary target, was just coming
into range. A smile crossed my bps as I prepared for the kill.
But the rat-a-tat-tat of impending doom wiped the grin from
my face. I looked back and saw a smoking MiG-21 pouring
tracers into my bird.
“Engine Left, Engine...” said the voice, but she never got
the last word out as my Hornet exploded across the lush
green landscape of North Korea.
_ Sound like fun? It is. And it’s also perhaps
the most anticipated game release in
Macintosh flight sim history: Version 2.0 of
Graphic Simulations’ F/A-18 Hornet and the
new Korean Crisis mission add-on. The new
Hornet comes as a “fat binary,” so if you’ve
got PowerPC horses under your hood, you’ll
get an extra dose of graphics detail and
speed. If you’re running a pre-PowerPC sys¬
tem, Hornet will still have all the new fea¬
tures, such as voice messages and
enhanced instrumentation, as well as much of the,
improved scenery detail (outside views of the air¬
craft even show a pilot in the plane).
F/A-18 Hornet 2.0 and the Korean Crisis add¬
on seem to have been on the verge of release for¬
ever According to the developed the delays kept
coming as the programmers sought to add ever¬
more features. What was just going to be a minor
update of the sim with PowerPC compatibility
turned into a whole new version.
The new Hornet contains great modifications
as well as some entirely new features to enhance
the experience. If you can devote 6MB of RAM
to the game, you can access the new voice com¬
munications, which not only add to the realism
but actually provide some helpful information. If
you hear the Landing Signal Officer of the carrier
yelling “Boltei; Bolter!”, you had best hit those
afterburners PDQ, or you’re going to take a bath.
the result of actu¬
al jet jockey sugges¬
tions, including fast¬
er acceleration and jet exhausts that glow cobalt blue.
Once you’re done with the 28 Kuwaiti-theater missions—
the same ones found in the original Hornet—the Korean
Crisis adds another 28 sorties, such as taking out an enemy
dam (the resulting flood is stupendous). If you already have
the original F/A-18 Hornet, don’t bother buying the full edi¬
tion of 2.0. Instead, you can just buy Korean Crisis to auto¬
matically upgrade.
It all adds up to some serious excitement. As I was coming
in for a carrier landing in the early evening dusk, the dying sun
sparkled over Inchon Harbot The carrier’s landing lights
stood out in bright contrast to the dark waters. The wheels
yelped as I hit the deck and I was yanked to a stop in an impos¬
sibly short space. As I raised my hands in triumph, an invol¬
untary shout of glee escaped
66 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 67
or flight sim fans, nirvana is screaming along 50 jnst
feet above the treetops with your GAU-8/A Gatling spit¬
ting dozens of 30mm depleted-uranium armor-piercing shells
per second into a column of heavy tanks. For Macintosh
flight-sim addicts, nirvana has finally arrived with A-10
Attack! from Parsoft.
This full-bodied flight sim doesn’t limit you to just torching
tanks with your GAU-8/A. Feel like pointing that behemoth of
a gun at a ship? A plane? A building? Go ahead. You have
total control of the Gatling and a bevy of bombs, not to men¬
tion a wide variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles.
Don’t worry, though, this isn’t a shoot-’em-up disguised as
a flight sim. In A-10 Attack!, the aircraft fly with unparalleled
realism and authenticity. Your A-10A Thunderbolt close-sup¬
port aircraft (affectionately known as the Warthog) can—and
will—stall, spin, feel the weight of wing loading depending on
the armament you’ve selected, and react realistically to wind
conditions. Ever try landing a heavily laden aircraft in a 20-
knot crosswind? Here’s your chance.
Parsoft’s “advanced physics model” lets your A-10 inter¬
act convincingly with other
solid objects in its virtual
world. Land on the top of a
hill and taxi down, then
watch the suspension give
when you bank on a turn
and bounce when you
brake. Nudge the wing of
another A-10 while flying,
and you get to see the other
plane move accordingly.
While you’re at it, eye the
great details such as moving
flaps, ailerons, and rudder;
steerable nose gear; and
active undercarriage arma¬
ment. The gear even bends
and breaks if you abuse it
The details carry through
to dozens of active controls
in the cockpit. Use the mouse
to rotate knobs, push but¬
tons, flick switches, and pull
handles—operating every-
uments In A-10's cockpit.
thing from weapons
systems to fire extin¬
guishers. The huge array
of working dials and
buttons may seem over¬
whelming at first, but
they add to the experi¬
ence once you get used
to them. The tactical
If all this sounds sim- map uses
ilar to another great chlts 10 let
Mac flight sim, F/A-18 y f“™ n * r 1 ° l
* ’ all friendly
Hornet 2.0 (see review, a|rcra(t
page 66), there’s more
to it. In A-10 Attack!, Parsoft introduces
the Virtual Battlefield Environment
(VBE). The VBE lets you make all the
decisions for all aircraft in the game’s
eight built-in ground-attack scenarios-set
in a rebellion-tom Germany.
A tactical map lets you oversee the
entire mission theater All combatants are
represented on-screen by colored “chits”
that identify vehicle type and country of origin. From the map
you can create waypoints, determine weapons loading, and
specify tasks to execute at any altitude, speed, and time for all
friendly aircraft. Then you can jump out
to the batdefield and watch what hap¬
pens until the cavalry arrive from above.
Once the planes show up, jump into the
cockpit and give ’em hell.
Not only that, the VBE also acts as a
series of plug-ins that will, in future ver¬
sions, give you the option to take control
of other tools of destruction, such as
tanks, choppers, warships, and possibly
even soldiers with portable SAMs.
Parsoft also plans to add new missions
to the relatively small number of scenar¬
ios and make them available for pur¬
chase by the holidays. Oh, did I mention
that networking support is due—free to
registered users—by this fall?
STRATEGY
MES
mounters
"By John Sauer
■^^Pometimes you hope a certain
game will be full of things to love,
but instead you find nothing but
disappointment. Such is the case
with First Encounters, a UK import
from Gametek.
Set as a sequel to its 1993 award-winning Frontier: Elite II,
First Encounters carries high expectations. But mediocre
encounter at spaceports.
autopilot locks you on to a selected port.
graphics, an awkward
control interface, annoy¬
ing sound, and a 140-page
manual as mystifying as
some science fiction novels
all put this one in the mid-
GAMEPLflY: * * *
"-speed
die of the pack. and experienced notice-
First Encounters starts able slowdowns at times.
off with a good premise. Such performance prob-
As the commander of a lems certainly don’t help a
one-man starcraft. vou below-Dar aame.
f. As is the way with
economic/space sims,
you make some credits,
upgrade your ship, get into
trouble, have some fun,
fight bigger and better bat¬
tles, and encounter aliens
somewhere down the line.
Unlike some other sims,
First Encounters is open-
ended, so there is no winning objective. It’s like life: Go
wild and see where it leads you.
The game is heavy with options and features. You can
upgrade your weapons and ship as you make your for¬
tune. Each colony you trade in has its own government
and economy (the police in Lexington port are always
open to bribery, for example), and possibly even wars.
Such complexity does call for a big manual, although the
one for this game could certainly be better designed.
Gametek also includes a collection of quite good short
stories that take place in the First Encounters universe
and provide some clues about how to proceed.
Sad to say, the whole package just doesn’t fly. The graph¬
ics are pixelated and worse than most 16-bit console games,
and PC gamers deserve better The music, while sometimes
cool, can get very plinky. Sound effects are similar: For
example, the “battle alert” is so annoying that it won’t be
long before the whole neighborhood is asking you to turn it
down. Fortunately, the game options let you do just that.
When it comes to game controls, in-station functions are
fairly simple and accessible via mouse-clickable icons. The
autopilot can help keep things under control while you fly,
but when you go manual, steering the ship and locating ene¬
mies in combat becomes a wrist-numbing experience.
The game also can be computer-numbing. We ran the tide on
two different Pentium 75s _
are the only way
to fight.. Stay
away from II-
begin by trading goods
between colonies, with
ample opportunities to
build your fortune by
dealing in legal—and
illegal—substances. You
also run missions for pri¬
vate citizens and join the
While First Encoun¬
ters does have good core
game play, you’ll have to
endure poor features to
discover it. In a world
that desperately needs
“A” titles, this one rates
id you to riches in the Great
68 September 1995 ■ ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
or decades, the A-IV Group has enjoyed unparalleled
growth. But now, their C.E.O. has disappeared... and
the candidates to succeed him.
■ you are among
To assess your executive potential, the A-IV Group has
devised a hyper-realistic economic simulation. You will be
challenged to buy and sell assets; build and manage trans¬
portation infrastructures; allocate resources among more
than 100 subsidiaries; and above all, maximize the profit¬
ability of your simulation.
Via your modem or phone you can compete with other
L executive candidates to take over as C.E.O. So,
manage your empire wisely — At A-IV, success
equals succession.
iwerHouse
M
irry Brenesal
_costly modem wars are
fought on battlefields, but in corpo-
: boardrooms. Understand this and
you’ll realize why the 21st century con-
impressions' latest simulation,
PowerHouse, concern economic and ... .
All the news you c
strategic battles between megacorpora¬
tions vying for the dwindling energy resources of the world.
You enter the game as the CEO of one such organization,
competing against three other conglomerates. Your short¬
term PowdrHouse goal is easy enough to define, yet difficult
to achieve: Find more efficient ways to produce electricity
from nine different energy sources, including oil, nucleag
and geothermal.
To accomplish these objectives, you must survey United
Nations-designated energy sites and cut deals with different
governments based on survey-team findings. Then it’s on to
structures, monitoring energy production, trans¬
porting electricity, and researching better technologies.
Oh, about those govern¬
ments: They’re not always
friendly, and even accommodat¬
ing regimes are not necessarily
stable. Local leaders may have a
penchant for nationalizing in¬
dustries, a euphemism for sim¬
ply grabbing control of your
facilities. Other rulers may sim¬
ply renegotiate your contract
without warning. And even
friendly officials may
frown on slipshod
environmental re-
rds ittfavor of cleaner, safer competitors,
i Your long-term goal, of course, is to monop-
the world’s energy supplies. There are
’legitimate” ways to achieve this, and in
’owerHouse, as in the real world, there are dis-
p honorable methods as well. For example, you
ft can sabotage an opponent’s production site, steal
technologies, bribe territorial officials, falsify sur-
I vey reports, and slander your competition. Such
p tactics may succeed, or you may end up at the
receiving end of the nastiness. In the worst-case
scenario, the UN will castigate you in public,
; causing various world governments to spurn
” your subsequent bids.
Visually, PowerFIouse is a charmer This Windows-based
Super VGA game bears some resemblance to the isometric
perspective of SimCity 2000, complete with distinctive icons,
cascading menus, plenty of optional overlays, and easy-to-
analyze reports. The high-quality photographs, music, and
speech are well-chosen to suit the game, though the full-
motion video is (as with so many games) noninteractive fluff
that adds no atmosphere and just gets in the way. PowerHouse
defaults to a standard Earth map, but you can generate ran¬
dom continents if you’d rather try something new.
Given the complexity of the game (with more than a
dozen different icons to click), a few online aids would have
really helped. For example, it’s hard to remember the func¬
tion of all the icons, so a status bar displaying each one’s
effect as you scroll across it would make the game easier to
play. And Windows games have no excuse for not imple¬
menting Windows-based context-sensitive help.
Once you figure out what’s happening, though,
PowerHouse demolishes Impressions Software’s reputation
for realistic simulation engines that simply don’t bother to
hide the dry spreadsheet at their core. Visually masterful
and filled with cutthroat competition, this game offers con¬
tinuously exciting play.
70 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
tie use on the subject. And when I spoke with one of the
game’s producers, he concluded an incomprehensible
description of elevator scheduling by advising me to leave
the default settings alone.
Surprisingly for a Maxis product, the game glosses over
important details: The map window doesn’t scale, the finance
window lops off the last three zeros of some financial data,
you can’t adjust the level of difficulty, and you can’t invoke
the disasters that help make SimCity so much fun. Instead,
you just have to wait for them.
Nor does SimTower work all that well as a creative toy. It
seduces you to follow a single path of “bigger is better” Most
players will end up building a huge monolith so they can get
a 5-“Tower” rating. And the game’s ultimate payoff, the
placement of a cathedral, is an annoying bit of religiosity.
The game’s graphics are also problematic. They’re stunning
to look at, but cause the game to run maddeningly slowly—
even on a Pentium. Also, unlike Maxis’s
other Sim games, which give you plenty
of information on improving your situa¬
tion, SimTower offers weak feedback that
tells you almost nothing about how to
solve problems.
When the last bit of concrete is poured
and the last tenant moves in, SimTower
has replicated little of the majesty of the
soaring structures it claims to model.
Ml
Iwlaxis, publisher of SimTower and all the other “Sim”
titles, prides itself on producing more than computer games.
Instead, the company claims it creates “software toys.” The
difference? A toy allows for creativity and free play. At the
same time, though, such “toys” don’t always deliver the kind
of goal-oriented action that gamers expect. But if the run¬
away success of SimCity and other Maxis simulations are any
indication, software toys are here to stay.
The company’s latest offering is SimTower, which
attempts to simulate the complex world of skyscraper build¬
ing and management. According to the manual, “You are
the owner and the general manager of your building, which
you create from nothing, shaping and sculpting it by adding
offices here, coffee shops there, until it’s a teeming edifice of
commerce and intrigue.”
Hmm. Sounds intriguing. And at first glance, SimTower’s
game play seems quite intricate. You work feverishly to bal¬
ing demands: mak¬
ing your high rise
grow and avoiding
the deleterious ef¬
fects of growth on
the tower’s envi¬
ronment.
The simulation
seems deep, too. It
tracks the stress
and're!^taurants* 5 ^ eye ' tower residents, the efficiency of
calls up an infor- elevators—even the number of cus-
mation window. tomers your restaurants and movie the¬
aters attract on a particular day.
But after playing SimTower for a while, you realize
there’s less here than meets the eye, mostly as a result of an
unbalanced design. Too many factors hinge on how well
your tower’s transportation system works, making the
game play more like SimElevator than SimSkyscraper.
This imbalance is obvious from the moment you read
game designer Yoot Saito’s introductory note in the man¬
ual, which concentrates on his fascination with elevators,
ignoring all other aspects of the game.
Worse, the Maxis folks seem unable to adequately
explain proper elevator management. The manual is of lit-
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 71
even me most mna-mannered, intelligent would-be shark to a
blue-chalk covered lunatic. I mean, it just looks so easy.
We all know the rules, and they taught us the physics in
elementary school. So why is it so hard to put those evil lit¬
tle balls into the holes?
Well, practice does make perfect, but most of us can’t turn
the den into a pool hall. Interplay to the rescue: Say hello to
Virtual Pool, the best litde pool game to ever hit a PC.
Virtual Pool is a
combination high-tech
pool simulator and
tutor, complete with
video segments on
everything from basic
shot techniques to
multiball trick shots.
There’s even a video
tutorial on the controls
used to play Virtual
Pool, making the
game’s manual almost
redundant.
Before you get
into the game itself,
it’s worthwhile—and
quite entertaining—
to work through the various tutorials. As an added
bonus, the Pool Techniques and Trick Shots sections are
hosted by former world champion “Machine
Gun” Lou Butera. (The section on masse shots
is particularly impressive.)
Once you start to play, you have a variety of
options. Decide on Straight Pool, 8-ball, 9-ball,
rotation, then choose from single- or multi¬
player games (played on one computer, via
modem, or on a network). Play against
several computer opponents of varying
skill levels, from rank amateur to cold¬
blooded shark. You can also go through
a practice session or, if you’re feeling your
oats, set up some trick shots.
Play is amazingly simple, considering the
amount of control you get. You make
shots with combinations of mouse movements
and key presses. Press the A key and move the
Virtual Pool’s tutorials give you the basics In a nutshell.
mouse to aim your cue. Want some English on the ball?
Press the E key and move the mouse to position the tip of
your cue. It’s just as easy to raise and lower the butt of
your cue (for masse shots) or change your perspective on
the table. You can even turn on the tracking option to see
exactly where all the balls will go after you hit them.
Want even more help? Hit Alt-K and the computer will
line up your best shot.
All this wouldn’t mean much if the game didn’t look good,
but it does. Super VGA graphics provide crisp, 3-D balls that
move just like the real thing. Even the sounds will remind you
of your last trip to the neighborhood pool hall.
But before you throw in your chalk, know that Virtual
Pool is good, but it’s not perfect. For starters, the Joplin-
esque piano soundtrack wears thin pretty quickly, and
you can’t turn it off without also silencing the wonderful
ball and cue sounds. Interplay also should have included
some video controls, so you could stop, fast-forward, or
rewind to watch some of the more interesting tips and
trick shots in more detail. Finally, a playable, preset list of
trick shots, such as those demonstrated by Mr. Butera,
would have further increased the enjoyment level of
Virtual Pool.
Still, don’t get me wrong. Virtual Pool is a great example
of what a game simulation can be. If you like to rack ’em up,
you have to give Virtual Pool a go.
72 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Tnrui MTR,P ^
TO JM p RO BOWL
W HONOLULU
Z-7 °ela«s fteioH, ^
fj J UJJj JJ
l J lil JiJJJJJljJll J'lri iiiTJim liiS uuljji® 3uy
ijjij otSBJEH 3 U13 U iu Jji^J
MJLL7Uii^-
from the ’94 season, and previews of the ’95-'9G season.
•Complete 1995-96 team and player profiles, photos and stats.
•Updates every week via our FRE* On-Line Service.
•The NFL Record Book, with individual and team records.
•The NR Trivia Game to test your gridiron IQ.
•Grder Official NR Merchandise on-line and get 10% off!
Cafls are not ton-tree
•A 30-chapter "movie" on the history of the league, with rare
footage of the greatest players, coaches and teams, and the
all-time best bloopers.
•Profiles of each Hall-of-Famer with photos and career stats.
•Insights into the strategic innovations that changed the game.
•The NR recordbook, rate the best players ever. |ir _
•Comprehensive team histories. KpFhfll
jyjORTS
es
Modus Operandi
Y ou’ve earned a well-deserved vacation, but that doesn’t mean life halts
while you watch the swaying palm trees on the island of Morada. Not at all—
for the resort is waiting with countless mysteries to be solved.
Morada is the setting for Modus Operandi, a real-time multiplayer game
developed by Simutronics and available through the GEnie online service.
No, you won’t be killing other players or dying in combat with computer¬
generated secret agents. Modus Operandi may be all about crime, but it’s
an adventure game, heavy on competition, cooperation, and deduction.
Every player receives monthly wages, but the extra cash from
Great game? Yes!
+ * * + +
reward comes in very handy. It allows you to
vital-equipment: binoculars, lock-picking kits, even psychic energy
readers. What you can use depends in large part on the career choice and skills you initially
select There are eight professions in all, each with certain benefits. An academician can per¬
form detailed library research, while coroners prefer forensic investigations and have unlim¬
ited access to laboratory facilities.
A mix of careers and skills is necessary to solve the more advanced mysteries in Modus
Operandi. That’s where cooperation comes in. Rewards are split by a successful team, and
everybody gains status.
Visually speaking, Modus Operandi is a special case-a text adventure. Interacting with
the interface is accomplished by typing full sentences or keywords. You won’t encounter any
figure-out-the-appropriate-word puzzles, however. The text isn’t a barrier, but an outline.
Simutronics’ programmers understand that the best-told story draws your own imagination
into the creative process.
As a result, expect to spend long hours in the company of your sleuthful peers, solving
the endless mysteries of Modus Operandi. -Barry Brenesal
Marco Polo
Marco Polo isn’t quite sure whether it wants to be a game
or a historical documentary. I-Motion’s CD-ROM uneasily
mixes a turn-based strategy game with an exhaustive multi-
media history lesson about the great explorer Marco Polo.
The multiplayer game puts you in the role of a 14th-cen¬
tury crusader who embarks upon the Silk Route to make his
fortune. You can follow Marco Polo’s exact path from city to
city while buying and selling goods—and getting involved in
political intrigue and undertaking covert missions.
But game play itself is not so exciting: You simply move
from a city’s introductory screen to town-center and camp
screens, and buy
and sell goods by
clicking on draw¬
ings representing
each item. You
don’t move within
a simulated envi¬
ronment, nor do
you meet any
other characters.
Buy and sell goods to make your fortune Your only interac-
in the game portion of Marco Polo. tions come in the
form of video “en¬
counters.” The clips—
sometimes featuring
Leonard Nimoy and
Burt Lancaster from
last year’s Marco Polo
movie—introduce you
to townspeople who
provide insight about
Aside from the vi¬
deo clips, the rest of
the graphics are unspectacular Static, history book-style
drawings make up the game-play screens. The sound track is
somewhat better, featuring a variety of period music.
Marco Polo’s historical content is accessible by clicking on
the Documentation menu item. Watch a narrated slide show
of video and photographs or read through screen after screen
of text chronicling the life of Marco Polo and the history of
the Mongols. That’s all fine, but it would have been nice if
I-Motion had linked pertinent information here to the game
play screens.
Like the explorer’s journey, Marco Polo the game is an
ambitious idea. Unlike Marco’s actual travels, though, this trip
is nothing special. —Christine Grech
74 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
SHORTS
Zig Zag
Legend has it that mythic Polynesian king Hawaii Loa created a challenging
test of strength and intelligence for pretenders to his throne. The trial included
a trek across sacred grounds, a perilous outrigger voyage, and a treacherous
dive in a shark-infested grotto. But the real challenge was a “deduction word
game,” designed to test the sagacity of royal wannabes. Now Quantum Quality
Productions has brought this legendary game to the mainland as Zig Zag.
Zig Zag is a word game in the true sense of the, well, word. Don’t look for
fancy graphics in the six word “quests.” In fact, the graphics are simplistic even
by word-game standards.
To win, you must discover a secret word by carefully entering test words in
crossword puzzle-like spaces. After
entering each test word, you deduce which letters are also in the secret word by seeing
if you score any points. This is where the “zig” and “zag” come in. To gamer a zag and
250 points, a letter in your test word must also be in the secret word. For a zig worth
1,000 points, a matching letter must also have the same placement in the two words.
For example, if the secret word is B-E-A-T and you type B-E in a two letter word space,
you earn 2,000 smackers. It isn’t easy. As you progress to higher difficulty levels, the
secret words become things like “Cays,” “baboos,” and “acetyls.”
If it all sounds a little complicated, it is. But once you get the hang of things, Zig Zag
is both challenging and fun. To help you out, the manual is easy to understand, and the
disc includes three full-length game examples. If you’re completely baffled, the hint fea¬
ture can give you the word letter by letter Of course, it also eliminates your chance to
reign on the high-score list.
Wordsmiths and others who enjoyed the verbal portion of the SATs should love Zig Zag.
It may not include a lot of bells and whistles, but it’ll keep you guessing. —Bill Meyer
Advertisement
Zig Zag
American Laser Games
800-863-4263
Developer: Quantum Quality
Productions
Platform: Mac/Win CD
Requires: System 6.0.8,
2.5MB RAM
Street Price: $49.95
GAME PLAY: + ■¥ + ■¥
VALUE: * * +
I
Words-not fancy graphics-make the game
in Zig Zag.
SHORTS
m
*
Dark Forces/Doom II For the Mac
As good a game as Marathon is, it hasn’t quite assuaged
Macintosh owners’ PC envy as they cast longing eyes on first-
person, three-dimensional shooting games like Doom II and
Dark Forces. Well, pine away no longer; Mac fans: These high-
octane megahits are now available for you.
In case you’ve been living in a cave, Doom II: Hell on Earth
pits players against hordes of demons spawned in the darkest
pits of Hell. The Star Ware-based Dark Forces has a tamer but
more complex plot: You are a mercenary hired by the
Rebellion to expose and destroy the
Empire’s newest secret weapon, the
Dark Troopers. Ether way, you run
around various levels of mazes, blast¬
ing away at everything that moves.
While the Mac versions of each
game mimic their PC predecessors in
nearly every way, there are a few subtle
graphical differences. For instance, the
images of ships shown during Dark
Forces’ mission-loading screens become
razor-sharp on the Mac. And gamers
lucky enough to own a Power Mac can
view all the Dark Forces action in high-
resolution graphics. Similarly, Doom II
on the Mac makes it a bit easier to dis¬
cern enemies from long distances.
Developer: id Software/
Lion Entertainment
Platform: Mac CD
Requires: 68040 or PowerPC,
System 7.1, 8MB RAM
GAME PLAY: -* » -* -»
Of course, the
slightly sweeter eye
candy would leave a
bitter aftertaste if per¬
formance wasn’t up to
snuff. Fortunately, in
both cases it is. While
Dark Forces runs no¬
ticeably smoother in
full-screen mode on
a 486DX2/66, perfor¬
mance on a Mac Quad¬
ra 630 is more than
acceptable. And Doom
IPs performance on the
Mac matches the PC version shot for shot. As an added bonus,
Doom II supports network play among Macs and PCs.
In the nit-picking category, moving to the Mac messed up
the default keyboard controls on both games. For example, the
D key fires weapons in Doom II on the Mac, whereas the easi-
er-to-reach Ctrl key acts as the trigger on a PC. Each game gives
players the option to custom-configure key settings, but because
some Mac keys are restricted to certain functions, it’s difficult
to precisely recreate the PC control sets.
Nevertheless, it’s time for the Mac users to cock the chain
gun and air out the blaster. The new versions of these instant
classics will make Doomheads and Dark-Forcers out of the
rest of us. —Steve Klett
Terminal Velocity
D oes Descent leave you feeling claustrophobic? Do typical flight sims have you
wishing for something simpler? Maybe it’s time to hit Terminal Velocity.
In “TV"-as the first game from 3D Realms, a new division of PC
action-meister Apogee, is affectionately known-you play a pilot in a
distant future fighting impossible odds, trying to save...oh, enough
of that already. Once you enter the cockpit, things couldn’t be sim¬
pler-just fly and shoot. A navigational arrow in the center of your
radar screen tells you where to find your next target, while the
screen itself shows the enemies around you.
As you fly, you can take out a variety of air- and ground-based tar¬
gets. Destroying certain enemies yields valuable power-
u fly, you can take out a variety of air- and ground-based tar-
gets. Destroying certain enemies yields valuable power- A winner in every way, Terminal
ups, such as shield restoratives and afterburners. And if Velocity is shareware that stands oi
you miss that closed-in feeling, just dive into a tunnel. The
moving walls and myriad enemies should keep even Descentophiles more than happy.
The game’s a looker, too. If you’ve got a Pentium, turn on all the details and the action will still
fly smoothly by. It isn’t Super VGA, but it sure looks great Got 12MB of RAM? Then load up the
registered version's high-res bitmaps for even more detail. The explosions are especially inspired,
both visually and audibly.
But in action games like this, fun is the object, and Terminal Velocity is a barrel of that stuff.
You can even hook up with other players across a network or modem to add that human touch.
Once you give the shareware version a spin, just try not to immediately order the full commercial
version. Even Microsoft is getting into the act; it will release a Windows 3.1/95 game called Fury 3
based on the same engine this fall.
But why wait? Terminal Velocity is here now. -Christopher Lindquist
Feeling homesick for
Descent? Terminal
Velocity gives you tun¬
nels to play in, too.
76 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
SHO
Onslaught
Computerized versions of hex-map war games have long
been a staple on the PC. Now startup Frontal Assaultware
brings some of the fun to Mac-based strategy gamers.
Onslaught contains all the elements of a good strategy
game: 17 troop types, including infantry, armor, and air¬
planes; a dozen different terrains; numerous orders for your
troops to follow; even nukes, if you feel like leveling the
board to an uninhabitable pile of radioactive waste.
To play, you choose the starting conditions, such as percent¬
age of terrain types, land mass size, number of neutral countries,
and the strength of
the local economy.
You can’t set “skill
levels” for your
computer oppo¬
nent, but begin¬
ners can delay the
enemy’s deploy¬
ment or reduce the
size of its war
chest if the action
proves too fierce.
After setting up
the options, Onslaught gener¬
ates a random game map for
you to fight over, and the
action begins. Create your for¬
ces with the point-and-click
Build Palette, then place them
on the colorful map. Check
unit status and assign orders
with easy-to-use pop-up men¬
us and the Info Palette. Once
fighting begins, use the
VALUE:
* * *
Combat Report window to track your successes and failures.
But while Onslaught is certainly a slick little war game, it
still has a ways to go to reach the level of the best PC strat¬
egy titles, such as Panzer General from Strategic Simu¬
lations or The Perfect General II from QQP. Unit movement
consists mostly of watching unit tokens dance around the
screen to the repetitive strains of machine-gun fire and
bomb blasts. Onslaught could also use more variety in the
number and types of troops.
At least Frontal Assaultware seems aware that
Onslaught is only a first attempt. The designer’s notes
even ask players to suggest improvements. One thing's
for sure: Onslaught gives the company a solid base from
which to work. -Christopher Lindquist
Advertisement
m
There’s only one Hyperman™ (Thank heaven!) on CD-ROM, and only you
can help him save the world. You’ll solve puzzles, outwit an evil alien,
and maybe even learn some science along the way. Cool. Check out
Hyperman on the Internet at http://www.cdrom.ibm.com To order, visit your
local retailer or call 1800 426-7235 (source code 5201).
CD CONSOi §
MES
The Big Game, the Big
Fight, and...Alex Trebek?
By Peter Olafson
^^ome on back to the
ballpark, folks. Greatest!
Nine, the first Saturn base¬
ball game, is a windshield¬
breaking homer, with a raft
of great features, beguiling
ease of use, and an authentic
feel that even the best com¬
puter games are hard-pressed
The game has an engaging
eye for detail—whether it’s
the range of apoplectic
announcers, the precision
with which it calculates the
length of home runs, or the
way outfielders look over
their shoulders and lean into the stands
when chasing flies.
That said, you will probably want to
wait for the U.S. issue, World Series
Baseball, in time for the holidays. The
original is based on real-life Japanese
baseball, with its own players,
announcers, and smaller stadiums. If
you’re not careful, you may find your¬
self getting thrown out at first on an
erstwhile single to right. (Sega of
America; 800-872-7342; street price
$70 to $90 for import version, U.S ver¬
sion, $59.99)
Platform: Saturn
Rating: * * + *
Electronic Arts has done right by
Space Hulk in bringing it to the 3DO.
The new version celebrates the origi¬
nal’s inner action game. This ground-up
rewrite of the computer version sends
your multicharacter parties free-
scrolling through darkened derelict
spaceships in search of nightmarish
monsters and the odd artifact. The
3DO disc does a better job of linking
the action and strategy elements, so that
each now seems an extension of the
other The result is like multiplayer
Doom without the network. And while
the weird religiosity of the computer
versions has thankfully been excised,
the Genestealers, bless ’em, are more
horrifying than ever Wear a smock.
(Electronic Arts; 800-2454525; $59.95)
Platform: 3D0
Rating: * * * *
Worldwide Soccer for the Saturn
squats happily a step or two down the
ladder from EA’s FIFA International
Soccer for 3DO. It’s missing something
intangible at a visceral level—perhaps
just FIFA’s irrepressible high spirits. But
it remains competitive, flexible, and fea¬
ture-filled. (Sega of America; 800-872-
7342; $49.99)
Platform: Saturn
Rating: * * * *
The key to the new generation of poly¬
gonal 3-D fighting games is realistic
action—not the trauma-unit gore of
Mortal Kombat. In this respect, each of
the Big Three consoles seems be missing
a little something. For instance, Tekken
is utterly gorgeous and wonderfully
fluid, but it’s sometimes less like fighting
and more like coming to terms with a
“boss” gimmick. (Namco; 408-922-
0712; $70 to.$90 for import version)
Platform: PlayStation
Rating: * * * 4
Meanwhile, Toh Shin Den uses model¬
ed characters and permits lateral move¬
ment-meaning you can sidestep an
attack—but replaces the human touch
with magic and swords. Consequently,
you never feel entirely involved.
(Takara; 212-689-1212; $70 to $90 for
import version)
Platform: PlayStation
Rating: * * *
By contrast, Virtua Fighter looks a bit
crude—the large polygons give it a sort
of Rock ’em $ock ’em Robots feel—but
it’s a real fighting game. It never tries to
be anything else, and the game play
mirrors the coin-op almost perfectly.
78 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
Tekken takes a stand for fighting games.
(Sega of America; 800-872-7342; free
with purchase of Saturn)
Platform: Saturn
Rating: 4» + •¥ +
In the next six months, you’ll probably
see around a dozen games in the style of
Gran Chaser— a texture-mapped rac¬
ing game from Syd Mead, tbe creator of
CyberRace. It’s not a bad start: The
graphics are pretty, the frame rate ade¬
quate, the courses rigorous, and steer¬
ing sensitive enough to keep you alert.
But for all that, the game lacks person¬
ality. You see the other cars, but there’s
no sense of having anyone else racing
with you. (Sega; 800-872-7342; street
price $70-90 for import version)
Platform: Saturn
Rating: M M +
Syndicate for 3DO is an uncharacter¬
istically straightforward port of Bull¬
frog’s justly celebrated action/strategy
computer game. You conduct teams of
as many as four agents on missions
through isometric cityscapes. You then
need to manage captured territories to
extract the most cash without inciting
rebellion. Howeveg Syndicate 3DO has
not been improved so much as adjusted
to work with a joypad. No indoor view
is provided, and movement within
buildings remains a strange game of
blind man’s bluff. (Electronic Arts; 800-
2454525; $59.95)
Platform: 3D0
Rating: * * *
field forested with colored pyramids. The
blue shatter at a touch, the red are
destroyed by your gun (but contact is
deadly), and the green can be demolished
only by luring predatory yellow pyramids
into them. Purple ones turn into pits
when shot, and it .goes on from there. A
breeze to learn, a joy to play, and truly
wicked in the higher levels. (Panasonic
Software; 408-653-1898; $49.95)
Platform: 3D0
Rating + * + ¥
In Interplay’s upgraded platformer
Earthworm Jim: Special Edition, you
control a worm incarnated, by turns,
either as a muscleman or as—well, bait.
This game’s play sensibility is delightfully
off-center The game keeps you in motion
and manages to avoid repeating itself:
The levels are full of surprises, not to
mention infuriatingly out-of-reach side
roads. (Interplay; 800-969-4263;
$59.95)
Platform: Sega CD
Rating: -*< + + 4
Surgical Strike for Sega CD is a full-
motion-video shoot-’em-up with a little
less twitch in its pitch. It offers a measure
of user control (you direct your hover¬
craft through a range of labyrinths),
apocalyptic explosions, and a certain
strategic element. But if you’ve seen a
dozen apocalyptic explosions, you’ve
seen ’em all, and monotony sets in after
a while. (Sega; 800-872-7342; $59.99)
Platform: Sega CD and 32X CD
Rating: * +
Surgical Strike, but to much more cre¬
ative effect. Here, you’re a fire depart¬
ment rescue specialist sent into three
elaborate hot zones: suburban house,
apartment building, and university.
You’ll deal with red-hot herrings (an
empty gas can) and interesting side
issues (finding the kerosene heater and
saving the cat), and you’ll have to make
occasional strategic decisions—such as
deciding which handle turns off the gas.
(Sega; 800-872-7342; $59.99)
Platform: Sega CD and 32X CD
Rating: M ■¥ + +
It’s been a long time coming, but we
finally have a good platformer for
CD-i. Merlin’s Apprentice is a gor¬
geous bouncer whose childish charac¬
ters seem oddly matched to the
undraped women who sometimes
adorn the backdrops. (Philips; 800-
340-7888; $49.98)
Platform: CD-i
Rating: + * M ■*
Most game-show-based games come off
flat for the want of personality. Not
Jeopardy. It’s got Alex himself, a classy
veneeg and an overall feel close to the real
thing—especially when playing with a
bunch of people. The only thing missing is
the grease pencils and the host’s grim
attempts to ask the contestants about their
jobs. (Philips, 800-340-7888; $39.98)
Platform: CD-I with Digital Video
Simplicity: Ya gotta love it. In Ice- .
breaker, you’re trying to clear a play Fahrenheit
engine similar to Rating: ■¥ + ■¥ 4
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 79
Plain TV? Play TV!
By Christopher Lindquist
S o you finally got that big-screen TV you
always wanted. And it’s attached to a
gut-pumping sound system that makes the
soundtrack to Pulp Fiction turn your head
inside-out All you have to do is sink into the
couch and relax. Awesome, ain't it?
costing $250 or more.
On the surface, it may be hard to tell the var¬
ious scan converters apart They all come with
everything you need to hook up your PC to a TV
set with S-Video (the best-looking choice) or
Composite (RCA jack) connectors. (If your TV
supports only the RF inputs, those threaded
connectors to which you attach your cable-TV
cable, you'll need to buy an RCA-to-RF modula¬
tor at the local electronics store.) The scan con¬
verters also come with all the cables you need
to hook up both your VGA monitor and TV set
to the PC at the same time. That way, if your
converter supports it, you can see what you're
in both screens. External scan
ers also include an AC-adapter
to power the unit
Most scan converters also
include utilities to move and
resize the image you see on
the television. VGA monitors
®TV,sets don't use exactly
same rtHiolution, so some
computer images may geliro
on the TV screen. These utilities let you
tion the image to keep important information,
such as menu bars, where you can see it
The more expensive converters may also
incorporate flicker-reduction techniques. This
can save some strain on your eyes if you play
for extended periods of time. But be warned
that even the best scan converter won’t make
your TV set’s image look as good as the one on
your monitor. DOS and Windows text may be
especially hard to read, though some converter
makers supply software to help m
help make thjn^
* • *
lal word of advice: Buy your scan
One final
a store with a good return
^policy. Many converters require special
software drivers that let you display an
image on the TV, and there's a small
chance that the software won’t work with
your PC’s particular video card.
Now that you know the basics, take a look
at these four new gaming-oriented converters:
Advanced Digital Systems’ Game Zapper,
AITech GamePlayer TV, Antec TVator Pro, and
SIIG TV Gamer Plus. Buy one and say good¬
bye to small-time games forever.
Game Zapper
On the low end of the price scale, you'll find the
Advanced Digital Systems (ADS) Game Zapper.
This no-frills converter supports only 640-by-
If you do run Windows, don’t expect much.
Game Zapper doesn’t include Windows-specific
drivers, so text can be fuzzy and unreadable.
Also, unlike most scan converters, the Game
Zapper doesn't let you watch both the TV and
the VGA monitor at the same time. Instead, you
have to toggle between modes. So if an impor¬
tant piece of text is unreadable on the TV, you
have to switch to monitor mode in order to get
media
Windows
Zapper; you’ll
DOS-based
80 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
a clearer view. Unfortunately, Game Zapper
also warns that switching modes while playing
a game “may cause problems.”
The Game Zapper's overall display quality
isn’t bad, considering the price Screen flicker is
quite noticeable, however, particularly on slow-
moving games.
ADS also makes higher-end converters,
including the TV Elite, which sells for between
$199 and $229. But if you want to play comput¬
er games on the tube and can’t afford more
than $50, Game Zapper is the only game in
town. (Advanced Digital Systems; 800-888-
5244; street price $50)
Rating: ■¥ ■¥ M
GamePlayer TV
Like other converter makers, AITech offers a
complete line of models, from the $300
MultiPro CTV, which includes such niceties as
hardware controls for screen size and center¬
ing, down to the $109 GamePlayer TV.
The GamePlayer TV is a standard PC
expansion card that fits in an open ISA bus
slot That may turn off people who don’t like
crawling around under the hood of their com¬
puters. But its design lets the GamePlayer TV
draw power directly from your PC-no need to
worry about AC adapters or finding
another power outlet
While the GamePlayer TV
costs more (more than
three times as much) than
the Game Zapper, it offers
such added features as
flicker reduction, support
for 16.7 million colors, Win¬
dows drivers, and utilities to
adjust the size and positiSh of
DOS and Winders sfcreens. The
GamePlayer #also lets you play games on your
TV and VGA monitor simultaneously. Even bet-
0, if you plan to play games only, you don't have
to load any potentially troublesome drivers at all.
Just plug in the card, attach it to your VGA card's
output port, and play away.
Under DOS, the GamePlayer TV offers better
picture quality than the Game Zapper, and it out¬
performed all the competition under Windows.
Even Program Manager group names were
clearly legible. You can reduce DOS screen flick¬
er by hitting a hot-key combination, but that also
seems to degrade text and graphics quality a bit
All in all, the GamePlayer TV isn’t a bad deal for
gamers looking to hit the big screen. (AITech;
800-882-8184; PC; street price $109)
Rating: ■¥■¥■¥
TVator Pro
Ifgou like Macs as well as PCs, take
‘ )k ® ArfUc’sgJVator Pro. This scan
nverter supports 6otl#C and Mac
converter supports 1
modes and comes with all the
essary connectors and software dri¬
vers for both platforms.
Like the GamePlayer TV, The TVator
Pro can display up to 16.7 million colors,
also includes utilities to both resize and adjust
the brightness of the screen. Plus, the TVator
Pro includes a flicker-reduction filter to help
reduce screen flicker. Like the GamePlayer TV,
you can also view both your TV screen and your
VGA monitor at the same time. However, unlike
the GamePlayer TV, you can’t turn the flicker
reduction on and off.
In terms of picture quality, the TVator Pro
easily matches the GamePlayer TV and tops
the Game Zapper, especially under Windows.
Images, particularly static ones, look clearer,
with less flicker. However, there’s nothing too
static about trying to escape from an exploding
mine in Descent, so you may not notice much
difference during an intense game.
However, TVator Pro requires a device
driver to let you see the picture on the
TV, and-under Windows-that dri¬
ver is incompatible with some
modes of a few graphics cards,
including some Diamond Speed
Star cards. Still, Mac users espe¬
cially should keep the TVator Pro
in mind. (Antec; 510-770-1200;
PC/Mac; street price $149-$199)
Rating: + ♦ ♦
TV Gamer Plus
SIIG's TV Gamer Plus topped the list for the
external models that we looked at. It boasts
good flicker-reduction technology, crisp
Windows support for 16.7 million colors, and an
outstanding 5-year warranty (the others offer
only one-year deals).
Like the other external converters, the TV
Gamer Plus connects your PC to both the TV
and VGA monitor. It also lets you view both the
monitor and set at the same time while playing.
And like the TVator Pro, you must load a special
device driver to see a picture on your TV
screen. The driver should work with the vast
majority of cards on the market but be warned
that you could run into a
problem. The unit's picture
quality is also on par
with the other high¬
er-price units, with
quite clear DOS
text and usable
Windows text
TV Gamer Plus
also comes with soft-
utilities for changing
DOS fonts to make text more
readable, turning flicker reduction on and off,
and moving and resizing the screen. As an
added bonus, SIIG throws in a CD-ROM con¬
taining hundreds of shareware and freeware
games. Mac users can pick up a version of the
TV Gamer for their machines for just $10 more.
(SIIG; 510-657-8688; PC, street price: $169.99;
Mac, street price: $179.99) ^
Rating: ■¥■¥■¥■¥ V&
ELECTROHIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1995 81
By Donald St. John
Untangling the
World Wide We!
erhaps no recent technological devel¬
opment seems as totally magical as
the World Wide Web. Consider: You can open
your browser and go to a Web page that’s
located on a computer in California, for exam¬
ple, click on a link within that page, and be
(almost) instantly whisked off to another page
that may be on a computer in Australia,
halfway around the world. Just...like...that
Of course, it's not quite that simple. What
makes the Web so easy to use is the same
quality that lets you make a telephone call with¬
out thinking about it-the transparency of the
technology. But just as that phone call has to
be routed through computers, switches, and a
mammoth set of wires that you never see, the
Web also works in the background, enabling
you to get to where you want to go next How
does it all happen?
Blame it on the Internet
It all starts with the ingenious design of the
Internet that collection of computers and net¬
works interconnected across the planet. No
matter what programs you’re using to access
the Internet-and World Wide Web browsers are
just one type of the many that flow along the
Internet’s pathways-the open structure and
software of the 'Net pretty much ensure that
what you send and receive gets to where its
supposed to go.
In part, that’s because the Internet is the ulti¬
mate example of the success of client/server
technology, a term you often hear associated
with large corporate networks. Simply put, a
client-a stand-alone computer running soft¬
ware that either requests or transmits informa¬
tion-finds a server, a computer that contains
the information or acts as a routing agent to
HTML
other servers that do.
accomplish this task, all
servers have to speak the
languages. The two languages that —-
are a basic prerequisite to any Web
transaction are Unix, the operating system on
which the Internet was built by the U.S. military
in the 1960s, and Hyper Text Markup Language
(HTML), the scripting language in which most
Web documents are written. Both were devised
with one primary thought in mind: openness.
Because neither has ever been dependent on
working with proprietary hardware or software,
such as Apple's Macintosh operating system or
Microsoft’s Windows, any computer can use
them-which theoretically means that any com¬
puter can access the Internet
Does that mean that you have to run Unix on
your computer to get on the Web? Not any
more. If that was the case, the Internet would
still be the sole province of the scientists and
engineers who comprised its population 10
years ago. Since that time, though, a cottage
industry-and now a commercial one-has
sprung up in software that does Unix transla¬
tions behind the scenes for you.
Meanwhile, HTML was devised as a lan¬
guage that could allow transparent hyperlinking
to text or graphical objects, while simultane¬
ously being pretty simple to write. This ease of
use lets thousands of college students and
other regular Joes create their own cool Web
pages. The beauty of HTML is that you can cre¬
ate a link to another Web page and represent it
as a graphical object; click on the picture, and
your browser software makes the connection
and takes you to it
Just Browsing
But before you program in HTML, you have to
get on the Web. To do that, you need an
Internet provider-a company with computers
connected to the “backbone" network that was
established by the military a quarter-century
ago. At the heart of that backbone are large
computers, scattered throughout the world
and primarily located at universities, that act as
the primary servers for the whole Internet (The
military designed the system to be able to with¬
stand nuclear attack on a particular site, so the
system doesn’t depend on the operation of any
single installation.)
Your provider, whether it's a small stand¬
alone Internet services provider (ISP) or one of
the big commercial online services such as
CompuServe, AOL, or Prodigy, must under¬
stand TCP/IP (Transmission Control Pro¬
tocol/Internet Protocol), the agreed-upon way
for Internet computers to communicate. (For
more on Internet connection options see “Get
the ’Net" April 1995, page 40). Your computer
in turn also needs to understand TCP/IP, so
you'll need to have TCP/IP software such as
Winsock for the DOS world or MacTCP for the
Macintosh, which are generally available as
freeware (or, in the case of MacTCP, bundled
into the Mac's System 7.5 operating system).
If you want to view the Web in its full glory,
your machine also needs to have either Point-
to-Point Protocol (PPP) or Serial Line Internet
Protocol (SLIP) connections, which handle the
movement of all that multimedia data.
Fortunately, most PPP and SLIP applications
exist as freeware or shareware and can be
found bundled in any of several guides to the
Internet, such as the Internet Starter Kit by
Adam C. Engst (Hayden Books, $29.95). If
you're not up to installing all this software on
82 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
breakthrough in browsers came in 1991 when
the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications developed Mosaic, the first good
graphical browser. More recently, Mosaic
developer Marc Andreesen co-
founded Netscape
and developed the
IBS. / / Netscape Navigator,
which is now used
by roughly 70 percent of all Web surfers. The
browser, in tandem with a growing number of
“helper" applications such as sound package
The Last Protocol
To finally get on the Web, there’s one more pro¬
tocol to deal with-Hyper Text Transfer
Protocol, or HTTP. Fortunately, browsers are
developed to read HTTP effortlessly; all you
ever need to do is to start your request to go to
a page with the signal “http://", then type in
the Web address of the page you seek.
* Your request transmits to your
Internet services provider’s
host computers; those seek
out routing servers that
can find the page you
■j Oral need; and the comput-
er holding the page
data sends it back.
Just...like...thatU
your machine,
the browsers that
have been developed by
the commercial online ser¬
vices can handle the task for you-
at the expense of some flexibility on
your end. (For more on what the commercial
online services offer, see “Cyberspace: 1995”
on page 47.)
Once these programs are installed, you need
one more crucial piece of sofware: a Web brows¬
er. This is software that sits on your machine,
hooks into your SLIP or PPP connection, and
translates the text and graphical information that
comes across your Internet connection. The
S.O.S.
Lefties squeezed,
modem speeds,
and standards seized.
Lefties Left Out
I regerttfy'looked into buying a new joystick.
l^msdi^Bjraged to discover that
LogftSWlnftfl'ngman Extreme does not
come in a left-handed version. I was won¬
dering if they make any of the really good
joysticks for left-handed people. I've seen
yokes for both hands, and I have a CH
Products Flightstick, which works great,
but I would like something more.
CH Products’ two-handed Virtual Pilot flight
yoke (CH Products; 800-624-5804; PC,
$109.95). If you're looking for ThrustMaster
compatibility, try out the ThrustMaster XL Action
Controller. Its four fire buttons and “haf control
work with all ThrustMaster FCS-compatible
games, and while it’s not built to handle serious
| abuse, the $29.95 price sure makes it appeal-
| ing. (ThrustMaster; 503-639-3200; PC, $29.95)
| If sports and action games are your forte, defi-
| nitely scan the shelves for Advanced Gravis' PC
1 Gamepad. Not only does it have a switch that lets
| you swap between left- and right-handed modes,
1 but its four control buttons are finding increasing
support in such games as EA Sports NBA Live
'95 and Accolade's Brett Hull Hockey '95.
(Advanced Gravis; 800-663-8558; PC, $29.95)
Need for Speed
I’m looking to.buy a new modem to replace
mybntiqgj&p,400 bps model. Is it really
worth my while to get one of the V34 28.8-
Kbps models, or can I save some money
and just get a cheaper 14.4 Kbps version?
In financial terms alone, heavy online users
almost always come out on top by buying a
faster modem (faster modems usually cost
around $100 more). Faster downloads and
speedier Web browsing can mean shorter ses¬
sions and smaller phone bills. And that means
happier spouses and bigger bank accounts.
Also, while not all online providers now offer
local 28.8 Kbps lines in all areas, most will be
upgrading to the faster modems pretty quickly.
More importantly, a faster modem makes
going online more fun. Once you see just how
much faster things arrive to your PC, you may
actually enjoy the experience so much more
that you spend more time online than ever
before: playing online games, browsing the
World Wide Web, and downloading files. But
trust me, it’s a worthwhile risk.
There is one other consideration-phone
lines. 28.8 Kbps is actually faster than some peo¬
ple believed today’s analog lines could handle.
Those people were proven wrong in the end, but
even a bit of line noise can quickly reduce your
speed to 14.4 Kbps or less. If you live in an area
with traditionally noisy lines, you may never see
the benefit of that extra performance.
PC or MPC?
A punch of the PCs in my local computer
stone, say they're MPC2-compatible. I found
out that means they have a double-speed
fD-ROM drive, 4MB of RAM, plus
other stuff. Now that we have
quad-Speed drives and even faster com-
j / puters, will there be an MPC3 stan-
. ' dard?
Mark Chin
San Francisco, CA
Yep, there is already such a thing as MPC3.
It was established this past June by the
Multimedia PC Working Group, a gaggle of
computer and software makers who get
together every so often to try and bring some
sanity to the multimedia PC market
For your PC to be MPC3, it has to include at
least the following:
1) 75MHz Pentium
2) Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
3) Support for MPEG1 and other full-motion
video standards
4) 8MB RAM
5) Wavetable sound
6) A 540MB hard drive
So, if you don't match up to these standards,
you’re out of touch and should go buy whatever
it takes to catch up.
Just kidding.
In reality, the standard doesn’t do much
except give hardware and software makers a
baseline to aim for on future machines. The
Wish I had some good news for you, but
like many industries, joystick makers pretty
much overlook lefties.
The reasons are economic, as usual. The
molds used to create high-end joysticks,
such as the Thrustmaster FCS, Advanced
Gravis Phoenix, or Wingman Extreme,
are expensive. Creating new molds
and starting additional manufacturing
runs just to produce a few left-handed
joysticks doesn't make financial sense.
So the lefties of the world have to go
for an ambidextrous model such as
your Flightstick or learn to deal with a
right-handed joystick. (It’s possible,
Hey, Jimi Hendrix was a southpaw who
learned to play right-handed guitar-and
better than anyone before or since.)
That doesn’t mean you don’t have
any options. If you're a serious flight-
sim pilot, you may want to investigate
Right now I use my modem just for e-mail
and downloading, a file every St
often, but I might want to get into
online gaming /a;
Tim Oulet
Portsmouth, Nl
84 September 1995 • ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
software makers will have an easier time knowing
what machines will be on the market if they know
that the hardware guys are going to start aiming
for MPC3 over the next few months. But it’s not a
solid “standard” in the way that, say, PCI is a bus
standard that everyone needs to follow to the let¬
ter in order for their add-on cards to work. It's
more like a suggestion that the Group hopes will
make everyone’s life easier.
The only standards that really count are your own.
If your PC still runs the games you like to play with
acceptable performance, don't worry about what
some gang of vendors will try and sell you next
286 or Bust
I’ve got-kgold 286 that’s ready for retire¬
ment Should I upgrade this system or buy a
mo&n&rWhputer?
Roger Mayuveather
Indianapolis, IN
Send that 286 to the old computer’s home. While
you could upgrade it to a 486 or Pentium, you
probably won't be able to salvage much. The mem¬
ory, hard drives, and add-in cards (like graphics
boards and drive controllers) used in those older
systems are generally slow by today's standards
and not worth installing in a newer machine.
(Unless you have a V.34 modem or some hot new
sound card in there. Save that for sure.)
A new machine will have components designed
to work with the newer high-speed processors.
You’ll be happier in the long run-believe me
But don’t just throw that 286 away. Consider
giving it to a local charity or school. They can
sometimes use even outdated machines for
training and educational purposes. You might
even be able to get a receipt you can take off
your taxes next April.
Fax, mail, or e-mail your queries to the
S.O.S. staff at:
• Electronic Entertainment
951 Mariner’s Island Blvd, Suite 700
San Mateo, CA 94404
• Fax:415-349-7781
• CompuServe: 73361,263
• America Online: ElecEnt
• Internet: clindquist@iftw.com
Sorry, but we can’t send personal
responses to every question.
VS Computeiworid Hong Kong PC WoHd Hong Kong
Computerworld Southeast Asia, PC World Singapore,
Computeiworid Malaysia, PCWorid Malaysia; AUSTRALIA'S
.Xustralian PC.*
iss Australia,
ss; AUSTRIA'S Computerwelt
(ZIL'S Computeiworid, GamePro,
: --Id; BULGARIA'S
w . .rid Bulgaria, PC
iria; CANADA'S Direct *- i-—
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iCH REPUBLIC'S
Computerworld Electronika, PC World; DENMARK'S
yg Macworld Danmark, PC World Danmark,
' W - . Id; ECUADOR'S PC
TS Computerworld Middle East, PC World
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nt Data, Unix World,
Computerworld-Moscow, Mir-PC; Sety; SLOVENIA'S
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le, Macworld, Su
STATES' AmigaWorid, Cable in the Classr
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ela, VIETNAM'S PC World Vietnam.
Advertising Sales Offices
Jim Shepherd, National Advertising Director
951 Mariner's Island Blvd., Suite 700
San Mateo, CA 94404
Tel: (415) 286-2530 Fax: (415) 349-8532
Susan Crown, Manisha Patel,
Advertising Services Manager Advertising Coordinator
(415)286-2598 (415)286-2516
Cara Martyak
Advertising Services Specialist
(415)286-2593
Sales Associate
951 Mariners Island Blvd., Suite
700, San Mateo, CA 94404
Tel: (415) 286-2514
Fax:(415)349-8532
South East United States
Julie Knapp
Regional Manager
951 Mariner's Island Blvd., Suite
700, San Mateo, CA 94404
Tel: (310) 318-2933
Continental Plaza Three
433 Hackensack Ave., 8th Floor
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Tel: (201) 489-1155 Fax: (201) 489-6277
List Rentals
Randy Randolph
(415) 286-2505
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT • September 1
Game Developers
Interactive entertainment publisher
seeking partnerships with innovative
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Pleasure Zones
Hot Slots
Superstars of Japanese P*rn
Velvet Dreams
Nightwatch 2
Dirty Debutantes
Tabloid Beauties
Texas Table Dance
Maddams Family
Virgins 1,2
Mind Teazzer
Samurai Pervert
Tokyo Nightlife Interactive
Scissors & Stones (MAC/PC)
See Some 3 Some
Peepshow
Spy Club Interactive
Vampire's Kiss
Dream Machine
Seymore B*tts 1,2
Penthouse Photo Shoot 1,2 or 3
(Each counts as 4)
Men In Motion
The Adv. Of Snatchman
Club Cyberlesque
Wander Lust
Sorority House
Virtual Vegas
Wicked Photo CD
Mark of Zara Photo CD
Cat & Mouse Photo CD (PC)
Hooter Heaven Photo CD
Heidi's Girls X Volume
Double Play 1,2
Adult Palate 2
American Girls 1,2
Asian Palate
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Elite European Models 1,2
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European Erotic (3 DISC Set)
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Finishing
Online Classics
What would the classics of literature have looked like if the great
writers had used emoticons? (If you need some help identifying
the works, the words we replaced appear in order at the bottom.
It was the:-) of times. It was the:-(of times.
—A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, 1859
:-) families are all alike, every:-(family is:-(in its own way.
—Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, 1876
What’s in a name? That which we call a —
By any other name would smell as:-)
—Romeo And Juliet, William Shakespeare, 1595
Then from 5K throats and more, there — a lusty :-0;
It rumbled through the A* *A, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the A and recoiled upon the_
For Casey, mighty Casey, was —> to the bat.
—Casey at the Bat, A Ballad of the Republic, Ernest Lawrence
Thayer, 1888
Raskolnikov suddenly recalled Sonia’s words,
“Go to the X roads, bow down and the earth,
for u have sinned against it 2,
and say aloud to the whole world, '<— am a murderer.’”
—Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1866 g
(j ‘oot ‘noi ‘ ssn/ ‘ssojio) \ 8
(Supuvnpv ‘jvp ‘uintunoui ‘foflv/i ‘ssox ‘000‘S) I I
(perns‘esox) \ |
(liddvtfun ‘liddvqun ‘iWvh) \ |
(jsxom ‘jseq) |
A Top 10 list of the
info that might have been
stored on that memory
chip planted in
Johnny’s brain.
10. Much Ado About
Nothing
9. Microsoft BOB
8 . The real specs for the
Sony PlayStation and
Sega Saturn
7. The active ingredients in
Flintstones Vitamins
6 . The script for the 1998
sitcom pilot DudeWatch
5. A detailed City of Los
Angeles bus-repair
k 4. A list of Mortal Kom-
bat III cheats
3. The Screen Actors'
Guild job-hotline number
2. Transcripts of the OJ.
96 September 1995 •ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT
CBT* 3D ANIMATION/GRAPHICS
IMAGINE A DISKETTE FEATURING YOUR:
BROCHURE • MAILER • PORTFOLIO • PRODUCTS • SALES AIDS • PRESS KIT • TRAINING
ORDER CATALOG • ANNUAL REPORTS • PROPOSALS • HEALTH & SAFETY
soiams vwi mnihi
WHEN YOU THINK INTERACTIVE
Our goal is to preserve classic video game magazines so that
they are not lost permanently.
People interested in helping out in any capacity,
please visit us at www.retromags.com
is made from these scans, nor do we offer anything
available from the Publishers themselves.
i selling releases from
t them and do let us know.
Thank you!
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